Pokemon Red: Tony's Journey
by Coli Chibi
Summary: Tony Miller, a young man with a dream of becoming the world's greatest Bug Pokemon Master, travels Kanto with new friends, facing down rivals, Gym Leaders, and Team Rocket.
1. OC Submission

**Heya, folks! Coli Chibi here with a new "submit your own OC story" for Pokemon! This story is dedicated to fellow author Pokerus, who made some kickass Pokemon Black and White fan fictions like this! Here's to you!**

**Anyway, this story is based on two things: one, the original Pokemon Red and Blue games, and two, how I think the Pokemon anime SHOULD have been done. I might be hated for this, but I really don't like the anime. Sue me. So, anyway, since this is based off the original games, you can probably guess that it takes place in good ol' Kanto. Want to submit? Here's what you need to give me:**

**Your OC's:**

**Name: (Full name, if you'd please)**

**Age: (No older than 25. The main focus on Pokemon is kids, after all.)**

**Gender: (Self explanatory)**

**Skin Color: (Just in case you want an African American Trainer)**

**Eye Color: (Please refrain from red eyes)**

**Hair Color: (Seeing as how Pokemon is Japanese, anything goes! Blue hair, purple hair, anything at all)**

**Trainer Class: (See Bulbapedia for these. Beauty, Bug Catcher, Collector, or just a regular old trainer, anything goes. Be creative! I want to see a wide variety of trainers, like Picnickers, Cool Trainers, and Hikers!)**

**Outfit: (What does your trainer wear? You don't need to give me too much. However, I'd like you to give me your OC's regular outdoors clothes, dressy party clothes, PJs, and swimwear.)**

**Hometown: (No made up hometowns, or hometowns that were only in the anime!)**

**History: (Your trainer needs a back-story, and a GOOD one, too. Be really creative.)**

**Accomplishments: (How many badges does your trainer have? And no being champions!)**

**Personality: (What does your OC act like around others? Cold, happy, flirty, weird, antisocial, or self centered?)**

**Flaw (This IS mandatory. A character that has no flaw is BORING. Maybe your OC is a pervert, or bad-tempered, or sexist, or maybe a bit of a sadist. Characters who don't have at least one flaw will NOT be accepted!)**

**Favorite food: (What? Why you looking at me like that? I'm not going to starve your OCs!)**

**Family/friends/rivals/lovers/idols: (Does your OC have someone they care deeply for? Or someone they just gotta beat? Please refrain from having your OC being related to a character from the games, anime, or Manga. If you want your OC to fall for another OC in the story, ask the owner if they would like to hook their OCs up, and I'll make them get together in the story. You can submit up to three OCs, but that's it!)**

**Pokemon: Well, duh! Okay, Pokemon is one of the most important parts! You need to give me, for each Pokemon your OC has:**

**Name: **

**Species: (No legendaries, and nothing outside Gen 1!)**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**History: (Where your OC caught it, will catch it, Etc.)**

**Personality:**

**Move-Set:**

**And that's all you need for your Pokemon! Oh, one more thing. This is based off of the original, older games, so NO Pokemon past Generation 2! No, I don't care that u liek mudkipz! G1 and G2 only for this story, folks!**

**And that's all you need to give me! Get your OC ready for an adventure! But first, here are a few more notes:**

**First off, yes I am going to have an OC or two in this story. (The main character and a few Rocket Admins) and I will try to not make them the center of attention all the time, so just keep your cool. I will make sure everyone's OC gets a chance to shine!**

**Secondly, if you don't have an account or a deviant ART account where I can contact you, I will not use your OC. I need to be able to contact you if your OC is lacking anything! **

**Third, if you submit an OC, I expect you to review this story and keep reading it. If you don't, I won't feel obligated to use your OC.**

**Lastly, I DO in fact have a life outside of fanfiction. If I cannot update every single week, I'm sorry, but either something came up, or I just couldn't find my muse. Please be patient when waiting for updates.**

**And with that all out of the way, let's get started!  
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	2. Prologue

"You're not actually using that _worm_, are you?"

Silence gripped the Miller household as six year old Tony Maruko looked up at his mother. The boy was holding a small Caterpie in his arms, whilst he fed it is small leaf. "Why not?" he asked, curiously. "Me and Lucky always fight together! Right, girl?"

Lucky nodded her green head, before chewing on her leaf.

Anna Maruko rolled her eyes. "And you wonder why you always lose," she said.

There was silence for a few moments after that.

Anna almost never visited her only son, Tony. She had more important things to do; namely, running her company. So, Tony was usually in the care of Brad and Sally Miller. Sally was Ann's sister, and Brad was her husband. The two lived together with Brad's slightly senile father, Pappy, and usually Tony. Whenever Ann came for her monthly visit, Tony was delighted.

Anna wasn't.

"Tony," Aunt Sally said to her nephew. "Is Lucky ready for the Pokemon battle today?"

Tony nodded eagerly. "Sure is!" he said, happily. "Maybe today we'll win!"

"I doubt it," Anna said, out of earshot.

"How about you go get your shoes and go to the battle," said Uncle Brad. "I'm sure there's plenty of kids who want to see Lucky in action!"

Tony nodded. "Yeah! Mom, you wanna come, too?"

Ann winced. "Sure, why not," she said. "You go ahead. I'll catch up."

Laughing, Tony grabbed his shoes from the door and ran outside, heading to the center of town, where the kids would practice with their Pokemon at sunset.

"You're discouraging him again. Stop it."

Anna glared at Sally. Her sister and she were polar opposites. Ann was tall, and Sally was short. Ann had blonde hair and Sally had dark hair. Ann was a business woman and Sally was a housewife. Anna was a horrible mother, and Sally wasn't a mother at all.

They did have one thing in common though: they were both as stubborn as a Tauros. "I don't need you to tell me how to raise my child," she informed her sister. The two sisters were sitting in the coffee room with Brad. Anna was drinking her coffee and taking her sweet time in getting to her son's battle.

"You need to stop talking down to him like that!" Sally said. "You're his mother! He looks up to you! If you don't believe in him, he'll be crushed."

Ann rolled his eyes. "You don't need a mother to get through life. You and I know that better than anyone."

Uncle Brad decided to enter the conversation. "That doesn't change the fact that he looks up to you. He does have a mother, a mother he that he wants to love him. Do you think he'll grow up happy with a mother who is always out on business in Celadon and only visits for one week and once a month?"

"I visited twice last month," Ann pointed out.

"You came back because you forgot your planner!" Sally all but shouted.

Ann shrugged. "Details," she said, before sipping her coffee again.

"And now you're not even going with him to his Pokemon fight," Sally said, thoroughly disappointed.

"Why bother?" Ann asked. "He has one Caterpie. He's going to lose. Why should I go if he had no chance?"

"Because you're his mother," snapped Brad. "You need to support him!"

Before Ann could snap back, her cell phone rang out. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out. "Hello? What? What do you…? You're serious? Alright, I'll be right there." She put the phone away. "Stocks just dropped," she informed her family. "I'm needed."

Sally rolled her eyes. "Of course," she said, angrily.

"What about Tony?" Brad shouted. "What will he think when you leave early? You only just arrived today!"

Ann stood up. "He'll learn to live with it, if he ever wants to be strong."

* * *

><p>Tony sighed as he walked down the dirt road back to Aunt Sally and Uncle Brad's house. He lost the battle. However, he did do better than usual, managing to take down a Ratatta and an Abra (though the Abra couldn't do anything but Teleport) but in the end, he still lost. Most of the other children mocked him for it. Who expected to win by only using a Caterpie? It was stupid and ridiculous!<p>

But the loss wasn't why he was unhappy. He was unhappy because Mom hadn't shown up. And she had promised, too. Tony knew his Mom was busy, and that she had a very busy job, but he still wished that they could spend more time together. Thankfully, his mom always put aside a week for them to be together. But Mom and Aunt Sally were always glaring at each other, and it made Tony feel uncomfortable. He was just glad that Mom would always spend some time with him. She had promised him, and she always kept her promises.

Or did she?

Tony sighed as he carried a battered Lucky down the road. He stared down at the Caterpie and smiled.

"Hey, girl," he said. "Don't worry about it. You'll be big enough to evolve into a Butterfree one day! Then we'll show them what you can really do!"

Lucky nodded, chirping happily, despite her wounds.

"Great!" said Tony, giving the Caterpie thumbs up. "We'll get them next time for sure!"

The two rounded the corner, eager to get back to home, where Mom and dinner would be waiting.

Then, he saw his Mom's car, turned on, and driving away.

Tony's eyes widened.

He put Lucky on the ground and ran after the car.

"Mom! Wait! No!"

The car kept driving, heading down the dirt road of Route 1.

"Mom, please!" Tony shouted, still running. "Don't go! Don't go…"

The boy collapsed on the ground, his eyes were filled with tears. His lower lips trembled.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, kiddo," Uncle Brad, standing behind him.

Tony sobbed. "She promised…" he cried. "She promised…"

Brad picked him up and picked up Lucky, who crawled on her trainer's arm and stared at him, concern in her eyes. "Come on," he said. "Your Aunt's getting some ice cream. How does that sound?"

Tony didn't answer. He just stared at Route 1, praying for his Mom to come back.

Midnight. It was midnight, and Tony was still staring out his bedroom window, waiting for Mom to come back. Lucky and his Aunt and Uncle were already asleep, leaving him alone with his thoughts. All he could think of was his Mom, and how she had lied to him. Her own son.

_Why? _He screamed in his mind. _Why? Why did you lie to me? I trusted you, Mom! You're my Mom! You're supposed to tell the truth. _He wiped a tear from his eye. _It's not fair…_

He looked out the window for a few more seconds, before pulling his covers over his head, and going to sleep.

_I don't care! I don't care if you go away! I don't care if you never come back again! If you don't want me as a son, I don't want you as a Mom! One day, you'll be sorry for this! I'll show you! One day, I'll show you!_

He closed his eyes and began to fall asleep. _One day… I'll show everyone…_


	3. Years go by

**Yay, another chapter! If you want to submit an OC, be sure to do it! Tony needs some friends!**

* * *

><p>Eight years went by. Eight years of growing up, moving on, and getting stronger. Eight years of training, of sweat and blood, of laughter and tears, and victory and defeat. And it all came down to this.<p>

Now fourteen years old, Tony grit his teeth as the Mankey narrowly missed Lucky. Lucky was no longer a tiny Caterpie. She had become a beautiful Butterfree, with silvery wings and a furry purple body. The Butterfly was weaving around the Mankey's blows, dodging them as they shot for her. a small crowd had gathered around the battle, and people were actually starting to cheer for him.

Tony's opponent, Dave. One of the many children who mocked him when they were younger for using a Caterpie. Bug Pokemon are too weak to use in battle, he had said.

Tony was relishing his chance to prove him wrong.

"Come on, Mankey!" shouted Dave, growling as Lucky continued to evade the Fighting Type's blows. "Squash that Bug!"

"Alright, Lucky!" shouted Tony. "You ready?"

The Butterfree chirped in reply, her compounded eyes narrowing at her enemy.

"Good!" Tony shouted. "Let's prove everyone wrong! Use Confusion!"

Lucky's eyes flashed a bright violet before a wave of powerful mental energy bombarded the Mankey. The Mankey hit the ground with an angry shriek, kicking up a small cloud of dust. The Mankey jumped up, his face bright red. He shrieked angrily, shaking his fist up at Lucky.

"Don't let that twerp knock you down, Mankey!" shouted Dave, his face even redder than his Mankey's. "Use High-Jump Kick, now!"

"Dodge it, Lucky!" shouted Tony. Lucky swiftly wove around the attack. Mankey cried out as he crashed into the ground again. Tony smirked. _Who's the twerp now, Dave? _he thought. "Alright, Lucky, time to bring this to an end: use Silver Wind!"

With an intense chirp, Lucky unleashed a powerful gust of silvery winds, striking the Mankey. With a frightened screech, the Mankey went down, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"Mankey is unable to battle!" shouted the referee, an older man named Paul, who made sure the kids played fair. "The winner is Lucky and her trainer Tony!"

"Whoo-hoo!" shouted Tony, hugging a very happy Lucky. "Alright, girl, we did it!"

"No way…" muttered Dave, shocked. "We lost?"

The crowd was equally shocked. After years of losing and training, Tony had not only gotten good, but he had gotten really good. Lucky dodged attacks like a pro, and Tony kept a clear head and a quick mouth, shouting order like he was a Gym Leader. The Bug Catcher was absolutely thrilled with himself.

Tony checked his watch. "Well," he said. "Sorry folks! Lunch time! I'll see you all later!" he shouted, as he ran back home, Lucky in pursuit. "I'll give you all autographs later!"

* * *

><p>"Aunt Sally, I'm home!" Tony announced as he walked into the house. He could smell tomato soup and warm sandwiches in the kitchen. Grinning, he ran into the kitchen. Aunt Sally was placing a bowl of soup in front of his grandfather, Pappy. Tony ran up and hugged his Aunt. "Guess what? I won today!"<p>

Aunt Sally hugged him back, laughing. "Congratulations!" she said. "Oh, I wish I had been there to see you win! All that training finally paid off!"

"Darn right," Tony said, as he poured himself a bowl of soup.

"I'm proud of ya, boy," Pappy said. The fisherman was eating his bowl of soup slowly, before taking a bite of his grilled cheese. He grinned at his grandnephew. "Raisin' a Bug Pokemon is a big job. Shows responsibility when ya don't give it up. But do you wanna know how to really be a responsible trainer?"

"By raising Magikarp?" asked Tony, sweatdropping. _How many times have we had this conversation?_

"That's right!" Pappy said. "Magikarp is the perfect Pokemon once it becomes Gyrados! It takes patience, skill and perseverance to raise one up! Kids these days… All they want are them Pokemon that evolve with stones and stuff…"

"Pappy," said Aunt Sally in a warning tone. "No need to lecture Tony on strength. He and Lucky are both very strong, and they've proved it," she said, placing a smaller bowl of soup in front of Lucky. The Butterfree was delighted; she loved tomato soup. She stuck her long tongue out, and was slurping it eagerly.

Pappy nodded. "Yeah, I know. Just sayin' I wish that most kids had Tony's determination," he said, taking off Tony's sunhat and rubbing the boy's blonde hair. "Yer gonna be a fine trainer, kiddo."

Tony grinned. "I sure am," he said. "This is just one step from me being the world's greatest Bug Pokemon Master! I'm gonna show everyone that Bug Pokemon are just as strong as any other Pokemon!"

"After lunch," said Sally.

Tony nodded. "Oh, yeah!" he said, before eating his grilled cheese.

"Well," Aunt Sally said. "I think we should call your Uncle and let him know about your victory! He'll be impressed, I'm sure." Uncle Brad was in Johto, a land that wasn't too far away from Kanto. He was studying the Ruins of Alph, for Pewter City Museum and Professor Oak.

"Yeah, he will be," said Tony. "I'll call him after lunch and tell him!"

Before anything else could be said, the phone began to ring. "I'll get it," said Aunt Sally, getting up to pick up the phone. "Hello? Oh, hello there, Professor!"

Tony dropped his spoon.

"You want to talk to Tony? Okay, I'll-!"

Tony shot up, grabbing the phone from Aunt Sally. "Get him…" Sally finished, whilst sweatdropping.

"Professor Oak, sir!" Tony said, saluting despite the fact that he wasn't there. (Or in the military) "What an honor! What do you need, sir?"

On the other line, Professor Oak chuckled. "No need for the 'sirs' Tony! I just need you to do me a little favor. I ordered a custom Pokemon ball from the mart, and it's waiting for me there. I'd go myself, but my Grandson Blue was fooling around with some Nidoran I was studying and got himself stung multiple times."

"Gramps!" Tony heard a voice say in the background. "I told you not to tell anyone!"

"…So, I'd like you to go and pick up my custom Pokeball for me. I'll call ahead and tell them you're coming. Would you mind?"

Tony nodded rapidly. "Yes sir!" he said. "Lucky and I will get right on it!"

"Oh, thanks!" Professor Oak said. "Thanks a ton! Now hold still, Blue…"

"Yow!"

Tony hung the phone up. "Alright!" he said, always eager to work for the Professor. Professor Oak always let him study in his lab and even let him help with some field research. He quickly finished his soup, grabbed his hat and shoes, and grabbed Lucky, who hadn't finished her own soup yet. "Professor Oak needs my help!" he shouted. "Gotta go! Bye!"

And with that, Tony bolted out of the door, carrying Lucky with him.

Sally chuckled. "That boy's always on the run!" she said.

Pappy shrugged, before muttering, "Kids these days…"

* * *

><p>Tony and Lucky walked through Route 1, on their merry way to Viridian City, having little trouble with the Ratatta and Pidgey that lived on the path. He was no stranger to Viridian City, as his Aunt shopped there regularly and he often came along. The town had what you'd expect. A Pokemon Gym, a Pokemon center, and the Poke mart, Tony's destination. He walked into the store, walking past a few people who were browsing, and headed up to the counter. "Excuse me," he said to the clerk. "I'm here to pick up an order for Professor Oak."<p>

"Ah!" the man said, adjusting his glasses. "You're Tony, correct?"

"That'd be me, Tony Miller, Bug Type master," Tony said.

"Ah, good," the clerk said, ignoring the 'Bug Type master' title. "Professor Oak called me and said you'd come." He pulled out a box. "Here's his package. Please deliver it quickly!"

"Sure thing!" said Tony. "Thanks a ton!" he shouted, exiting the store.

"Well," he told Lucky. "That went well, didn't it?"

Lucky nodded. "Free!"

Tony grinned as he tossed the package up and down in his hand. "Well, we'd better head back to Pallet Town! Professor Oak will be waiting for us!"

"Butterfree free!" shouted Lucky, still hungry.

Tony sighed. "You're still hungry? Hey, why don't we go and get some ice cream! We deserve some for a job well done!"

Butterfree nodded. "Free butter ree!"

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that, "said Tony, grinning. "Come on, let's head off! I want vanilla!"

"Hold it right there!"

Tony blinked. He turned around to see a young girl, glaring at him. She was wearing a green jacket and skirt and had bright blonde hair. "Are you Tony Maruko?" she demanded.

Tony felt his good mood dissolve away. "I'm not Tony _Maruko_!" he said, spitting out his Mother's last name. "I'm Tony _Miller_! Get it right!"

"Whatever!" the girl said, angrily. "You're still Tony, right?"

"Yeah, I am. Who wants to know?" demanded Tony. He was feeling nervous. How did this girl know his forsaken former last name?

"Free!" said Lucky, angrily.

"I'm Karen!" the girl announced. "And I challenge you to a Pokemon battle right now!"

Tony shook his head. "No thanks," he said, walking off to Route 1.

"Good! Now I'll stomp you like a… Hey! What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean, no I am not gonna fight you!" Tony replied. "I have a package to deliver, ice cream to eat and Lucky never got to finish lunch, so she's hungry. So… adios, shorty!" he said, walking off again.

"Don't call me shorty!" spat Karen. "We're fighting right now!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Look at you," he said. "What are you, nine? You're too young for this!"

"Am not!" shouted Karen. "I know that you were much younger when you started training! And I'm more than good enough to take you on! So let's battle!"

"First off," Tony said, getting annoyed. "How the _heck _do you know that I started training at age five? Secondly, I am not in the mood to battle right now. We're going home to finish lunch! Battle me after lunch, okay?"

"No!" Karen shouted. "I need to do it now!"

"Well, then you're just out of luck," said Tony. "Seeya!"

Karen was fuming as she watched Tony run off. "Hey! Don't you run away from me! Hey!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, across Viridian city, a man, dressed in a dark suit, walked out from the Pokemon Center, keeping his face low. He felt his heart beat faster as he walked past an Officer Jenny, who was writing up a ticket for a young lady whose Jigglypuff was putting people to sleep. The man hurried past as the two women argued and protested, his heart beating faster until he finally ran behind the Poke Mart.<p>

His partner, Pepper, was waiting for him "Took you long enough," she said, twirling a Pokeball in one of her gloved hands. The woman was clad in dark clothes, and a mask was hanging out of her pocket.

Her partner and brother, Salt, pulled off his suit, revealing a black uniform with a large red R emblazoned on the front. "Sorry," he muttered, quietly, as he put his black hat over his light colored hair.

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said, pocketing the Pokeball. "Where's the idiot that the boss hired to help us? She's late!"

Salt shrugged. He had never been one for words.

"She thinks that just because we're grunts that she can treat us like dirt!" growled Pepper, doing all the talking as usual. "What a jerk…"

Salt shrugged again, saying nothing.

"And whose idea was this anyway?" Pepper shouted, running a hand through her dark hair. "Just waltzing into the Pokemon Center and stealing a ton of Pokemon? That's crazy!"

"And what's wrong with that?" a female voice asked. "It's done wonders for _me_."

Pepper froze. A dark haired woman wearing a black jacket walked up. She had a purple streak running through her hair, and her eyes were cold and cruel looking. Kayla Reeds, wanted psychopath and bounty hunter. She had been hired by Pepper and Salt's boss to help them steal Pokemon. None of the other team members liked Kayla. She was cruel, violent, and had a bad habit of "losing" her Pokemon in unfortunate accidents. The woman was also notoriously bad tempered and loudmouthed.

"You're finally here," Pepper said.

Kayla nodded. "I am, No. 45," she said, referring to Pepper's code name. "Oh, and by the way…" Kayla shot forward, wrapping her hand around Pepper's throat. She lifted the surprised grunt into the air, who began choking and begging for air as Kayla's hand gripped her windpipe. "Don't call me an idiot," Kayla said, simply

Pepper tried to say something, but Kayla couldn't hear it. "Eh? What's that, No. 45? I can't hear you! Speak up!"

Pepper's face was beginning to turn blue and she was running out of time.

"Ma'am!" Salt said, saluting. "The smoke bomb is in place!"

"Oh?" Kayla said, dropping Pepper to the ground. "Good! Why didn't you say so? Now we can get this operation started!" She turned to Pepper, who was gasping on the ground for air. "Close your mouth, sweetie," said Kayla. "You'll catch Bug Pokemon!"

Pepper glared up at Kayla, who smiled smugly in return. "Now," the bounty hunter said, pulling a gas mask out of her coat. "It's time for me to earn my million. Come on, kiddies!" she cackled. "We have lives to ruin!" She pulled out the detonator to the smoke bomb and strapped on her gas mask. Salt and Pepper did the same. "Eheheh… It's showtime!"

Salt rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Just another day in the illustrious Team Rocket!

* * *

><p>Tony sighed happily as he leaned on against the wall of the ice cream store, licking his vanilla cone (with sprinkles, of course) while Lucky ate her strawberry cone that Tony was holding in his other hand. This was the life… Professor Oak's package safely in his backpack, an ice cream cone with sprinkles, and he finally had lost that annoying little-!<p>

"Hey! You!"

D'oh!

Tony groaned as Karen ran up again, still ready to fight him at all costs. "Alright, you have your stupid ice cream! Now we fight!"

"Not right now," Tony replied, still licking his cone.

"Come on!" Karen shouted. "I wanna fight! Right now!"

"We're kinda in the middle of something," Tony said.

"Free ree!" shouted Lucky.

"Those stupid ice cream cones don't matter!" shouted Karen. "I want a battle and I will not leave until I get one!"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Come on, Lucky, let's go home. The Professor will be waiting for us."

"Ree!"

Tony and Lucky began to walk off, leaving an infuriated Karen. "I should've know you'd be a coward, you big, stupid Bug Catcher!"

Tony froze, standing straight up. He slowly turned to Karen, his eyes practically glowing red.

Karen blinked. _Looks like a struck a nerve… Okay, let's go with it… _"Yeah, you're just a weak little Bug Catcher!" she continued. "I bet that that Butterfree is the only decent Pokemon you have! I bet all you have are Metapod and Caterpie! And your Butterfree will probably faint after just one hit! Your entire party is probably weak, just like every other Bug Pokemon! In fact, I'll bet-!"

Before she could finish, Tony had tossed his and Lucky's cones asides and jammed his face into Karen's, his eyes flashing. "Don't you dare insult Bug Pokemon like that!" he roared. "Alright, you wanna a battle! Then it's time for us to battle! Get ready to swallow your words, shorty!"

Karen blinked, before grinning. "About time!" she shouted.

"Lucky, let's go!" Tony shouted. Lucky, despite being angry about losing her cone and her lunch, obeyed, flying in front of her trainer.

"That all you got?" shouted Karen. "Come on out Blaze!" she shouted, pulling a bright red Pokeball and throwing it. A young Charmander popped out, snapping into her fighting pose at once.

"Oh, a Fire Type!" said Tony in fake fear. "So scary!"

"I'll make you eat those words!" shouted Karen. "Alright, Blaze! Use-!"

KA-BOOM!

A loud explosion cut off the battle. Green fumes began to pour out of the Pokemon Center, and people began to run out, coughing and hacking. As they left, three people dressed in black ran inside, wearing gas masks over their faces.

"What the heck?" Tony said. "Come on, Lucky! Let's see what happened!"

"Bree!" Lucky chirped, agreeing.

The duo ran off, before being halted by Karen. "Hey! We were fighting!"

"Sorry, shrimp!" Tony shouted. "We'll do this some other time!"

Karen folded her arms. "Don't call me shrimp!" she shouted, as she stomped her foot.

Blaze just looked on, confused.

* * *

><p>Kayla Reeds grinned maniacally behind her gas mask as she kicked the door open, running inside the Pokemon Center. Most of the human beings had already fled the center. All who was left was a coughing and hacking Nurse Joy, who was struggling to breathe.<p>

"Heya, Pinky!" shouted Kayla, as she leaped up onto the counter. "I'm here to collect Pokemon donations for Team Rocket! Would you care to make a donation?"

Nurse Joy glared up at Kayla through her teary eyes. "Never!" she shouted, before coughing again.

"Tsk, tsk!" Kayla said. "What a stingy woman!" she said. Bringing the briefcase in her hand back, she slung it into the nurse's face, knocking her out cold. On any other day, Kayla would have loved to torment the woman, but today she was in a rush. "It's too bad you don't want to give us a donation..." she cooed to the unconcious nurse. "But that doesn't matter... We'll just take 'em anyway! Muahahaha!"

Salt and Pepper ran in after Kayla, carrying briefcases. of their own. "Took you long enough," Kayla said. "Now, come on, let's get the Pokeballs from medical ward!" she shouted.

The two siblings nodded, before following Kayla into the medical ward.

* * *

><p>Tony gritted his teeth and covered his mouth as he ran into the Pokemon Center. The center had been evacuated, and gas was everywhere. "Hello!" he shouted. "Anyone in here?"<p>

"Ugh…" he heard a voice from behind the counter.

Tony ran forward and looked behind the counter, discovering an out cold Nurse Joy. Tony wasn't a genius or anything, but he didn't think that smoke would be good for an out cold human being.

He ran over to the door, flinging it open. "Lucky!" he shouted. "Use Silver Wing and blow all the smoke out of the room!"

"Bree!" Lucky shouted, whipping up a powerful burst of wind with her wings. She blew the wind out of the open door, sending the smoke outside, harmlessly floating up in the air.

Tony finally managed to breathe. "Good job!" he told Lucky, before running to check up on Nurse Joy. The woman was still out cold.

"Oh, no!" Tony said. "She needs mouth to mouth!" Despite the seriousness of the situation, a small smile appeared. "Better give it to her…" he muttered, puberty kicking in.

Before he could press his mouth on Joy's, the Nurse moaned and opened her eyes. "Ough…"

"Darn-! Er, I mean, thank goodness you're okay, Nurse Joy!" said Tony, whilst sweatdropping.

Nurse joy rubbed her head. "Wha-? Where are the Pokemon thieves?"

Tony blinked. "The who?"

"Oh, dear, I do believe she might mean us."

Tony whirled around to see a dark haired woman, with a brief case in one hand and pulling off a gas mask with her other. She tossed the mask aside, glaring at him. "Well, well," she said, grinning cruelly. "And what do we have here? A hero?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a knife. "_Heroes die!"_

Tony got up off of Nurse Joy in a flash, his eyes flashing. "You're the one who did this!" he shouted.

"Well, duh, of course I did!" she said. "Kayla Reeds, at your service!" she said, with an elaborate bow.

"We know who you are!" Nurse Joy snapped. "You're... You're all part of Team Rocket! The police have been looking everywhere for you monsters!"

"Well," Kayla said, "they're obviously looking in all the wrong places, because they didn't check your Pokemon Center."

Tony and Lucky stood in front of the entrance. "You're not going anywhere!" he shouted.

Kayla laughed. "Oh, well, if you say so..." Then, she charged at him, swinging her briefcase.

Tony didn't have time to react, and neither did Lucky. The case smacked him in the face knocking him out cold.

"Thanks for the donations!" Kayla said to the frightened Nurse Joy, as Pepper and Salt joined her, both with briefcases of their own. "Well, we'll be off now! Team Rocket blasting off and all the garbage…" she said, as the trio of thieves ran out the door.

"Freeze!"

Kayla and her partners ran right into an angry looking Officer Jenny, her face bright red.

"'Team Rocket, you're under arrest'!" Kayla said, mimicking the police woman's voice. "You know, for the record, I'm not a Rocket. I'm freelance. Those two losers are the Rockets."

"Hey!" Pepper shouted.

"Nevertheless," Officer Jenny declared, "you are under arrest! You have the right to remain-!"

Before she could finish, Kayla shot forward, punching the police officer in the face. Before Jenny could recover, Kayla had knocked her on her back, before bashing in her in the face with her brief case, knocking her out.

"Now's our chance!" Pepper shouted, as she and Salt bolted. She turned to Kayla, who was beginning to jump up and down on Officer Jenny's out cold body, whilst laughing blissfully, frightening the few bystanders that were watching them. Rolling her eyes, Pepper shouted, "Are you coming or what?"

Kayla stopped jumping on Jenny, spitting on the out cold officer's face. "Coming!" she shouted. "So long suckers! Eheheh!"

* * *

><p>Tony groaned as his eyes opened. He felt a hand shaking his shoulder. Nurse Joy was looking down at him, visibly worried. Lucky was floating next to her, looking very fearful for her trainer. "Are you okay?" she asked.<p>

Tony groaned, but nodded. "Man," he muttered. "She hits hard…"

Nurse Joy looked away. "And she also stole all of the Pokemon that were awaiting treatment!" she wailed. "Oh, those poor Pokemon! They may never see their owners again!"

Tony leaped up, his eyes flashing and his hands clutched into fists. "Oh, yes they will! Come on, Lucky! She won't get away with this!" he shouted, as he ran out of the center, leaving a very surprised Nurse Joy.

Tony ran out into the street and found Officer Jenny, getting off the ground and clutching her head.

"Briefcase bash?" he asked.

Jenny nodded. "Briefcase bash," she confirmed.

Tony sighed. "Where did that crook go?" he demanded.

Jenny pointed north. "They were headed towards Viridian Forest!" she said, rubbing her bruised head.

Tony's eyes widened. "Bug Pokemon live there!" he shouted. "Now she's really crossed the line! Lucky, let's go!" he shouted, as he ran off to Viridian Forest, his eyes glowing with anger and ignoring the calls from the dazed Officer Jenny to come back.

* * *

><p><strong>Looks like Tony is on his way to fight Team Rocket! But with three enemies to face, he might need some help! Review and favorite this story!<strong>


	4. Viridian Showdown!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey, Tony was revealed to have mastered the art of Pokemon training with his Butterfree, Lucky. He is set on being the world's greatest Bug Master. He went on an errand for his Uncle's boss, the esteemed Professor Oak, and while in Viridian City, he was challenged by a young girl named Karen. However, before they could fight, the evil Team Rocket stole several Pokemon from the Pokemon Center. Now, Tony has chased them into Viridian Forest, ready to take the stolen Pokemon back. Can he face up to the Rockets, and the sadistic bounty hunter known as Kayla Reeds?**

**Find out now! **

**Today's special thanks goes to... 3rdbase101 for his awesome OC! Thanks a lot! Keep reviewing for me!**

* * *

><p>Tony gasped as he continued running, his feet begining to ache as he shot foward, still struggling to run. Lucky kept pace with him, all the way as they entered the natural maze that was Viridian Forest. Neither Pokemon nor trainer was a stranger to the place. They had been there dozens of times, and Lucky had been born there foe Pete's sake! Not to mention that the forest had served as Tony's training ground when he was younger. He knew every tree, every Weedle, every Metapod, and every occasional Pikachu. That was what he had for an advantage. Those Rocket goons may have had a headstart, but Tony knew the land.<p>

He just hoped that he'd get there in time. If those Rocket's got away, a lot of people would be missing their Pokemon.

"See them yet, Lucky?" asked Tony.

"Free..." Lucy moaned.

Tony groaned. "Alright," he said. He struggled to think of a strategy. Sending Lucky up in the air to keep a look-out wouldn't help at all; the trees were far to thick to see through. Running around the forest and checking every single spot seemed like a decent choice, but that could take hours. He needed a fast and easy way to find those thieves before they escaped.

"Come on!" he told Lucky. "We need to go and get those Pokemon back! Those Rockets won't get away with this!"

Lucky nodded and followed her trainer, as they ran deeper into the forest.

They kept going, refusing to give up on those Pokemon. Besides, Tony was still angry about the whole 'getting hit in the face with a briefcase' thing. So, they pressed on, deeper and deeper into the woods.

The duo ran deeper and deeper into the natural maze, their eyes wide open and searching for any sign of the thieves. The darkness didn't deter them as they set out for their goal. As they ran along the forest path, questions swirled inside Tony's head.

_Who were those guys? Why were they stealing Pokemon from the center? if they were in the center, they were probably really sick! Why are they running here? This forest isn't exactly the best place to hide, and if they make it to Pewter, they'll probably get caught there... That is, unless they're going to change their clothes and make disguises! Then we may never catch them. All the more reason to run even faster!_

He kept running, Lucky by his side as he shot through the forest, not willing to stop for anything or anyone.

Including a young man he collided with.

"What the-?"

"Hey! Watch out!"

"Augh! Hey wait!"

THUD!

Tony groaned as he picked himself off the ground. He jumped up, breathlessly. Another boy was picking himself off the ground, too. He had shaggy blonde hair, slightly darker than Tony's, and wore a white tea shirt with a blue jean vest. Oddly enough, he had no shoes on.

"Hey, man!" the other boy said, dusting himself off. "What's the big idea?"

"No time to talk!" Tony shouted. "Have you seen three people wearing black with red R's on their shirts running through the forest with briefcases?"

The other boy blinked. "Wha-?"

"People wearing big red R's on their chests and wearing all black!" Tony shouted. "They just stole Pokemon from Viridian City's Pokemon Center!"

The other boy's eyes widened. "What?" he shouted. "My Scyther was resting there!"

Tony blinked. "You have a Scyther? Holy Tauros, that's awesome!" The Bug Catcher's eyes became very starry. "That's sssssooooo awesome! Every team needs a good Bug Type, and-!"

"Hey!" the other boy said. "Focus here! You said that those guys were wearing big red R's, right?"

"Yeah!" Tony said, trying to forget about the Scyther. "That's right! You know them?"

The other boy nodded. "Team Rocket!" he snarled. "What are they doing all the way out here?"

"Team who-now?" Tony asked, confused.

"Rocket," said the other boy. "They've been stealing Pokemon lately! They're all over Cerulean, Celedon, and other big cities like that! Haven't you ever heard of them?"

Tony shook his head. "Sorry," he said. "Country boy. Haven't been to Celedon since I was born."

The other boy gritted his teeth. "So, those Rockets wanna mess with me? Then they have another thing coming! Where'd they go! Come on!" he shouted, turning around.

"Uh, yeah," Tony said. "Who're you again?"

The other boy sighed. "Right, right. I'm Kirby, Kirby Seller! Now let's quit hanging around and lets go!"

Lucky looked at Tony. "...Free?"

Tony shrugged. "Well, we might as well team up for now. I mean, he has a freaking Scyther!" He ran after Kirby. "Hey, wait up!"

Lucky rolled her eyes, before following them. "Butter..."

* * *

><p>"Are your legs broken or something? Are you unable to walk? I mean, what's wrong with you?"<p>

Pepper rolled her eyes. "No, my legs aren't broken," she said through gritted teeth.

"Then run faster you moron!" Kayla shouted.

Salt sighed as his sister began to swear under her breath. Kayla Reeds was very hard to work with, and his sister's temper wasn't helping. If she hadn't been his sister, and his only living relitive, he would have probably quit the Rockets by now. Maybe start up a little resturant. But no, all he could do was follow his sister. Heck, his name wasn't even Salt! It was Solomon! He only took the name because his sister insisted. It was clever, she had said.

Meh.

"Hold up!" shouted Kayla, coming to a stop. She looked around. "Yup," she said. "This is the spot."

"The spot for what?" asked Pepper.

"For the truck to pick us up, stupid!" snapped Kayla. "Sheesh. Why do you Rockets always take so much time to use your brains!"

Pepper folded her arms, but said nothing. She wanted to avoid any more strangulations. "Alright," she said, leaning against a tree. "Fine. We'll just wait here."

Salt sat down Indian style, pulling out a small bag of crackers from his pocket, slowly eating them.

"So," Pepper said, frustrated. "We just sit here and wait?"

"Yup," Kayla said. She pulled a pocket knife out from her coat and began twirling it around, her cold eyes watching the blade dance in her hand.

Pepper sighed as she sat next to her brother, snatching one of his crackers away. Salt said nothing, as per usual. "Great plan," she remarked.

Kayla tossed the knife at the girl, impaling her uniform's hat. Pepper shrieked as the knife shot through her hat, pinning it to the tree behind her. "What the-?" she fumed. "Stop that!"

Kayla pulled out another knife and started twirling it again. "Don't blame me, kiddo," she said. "Blame your own lack of brains. Heck, blame your Mom for bein' dumb enough to give birth to a couple of idiots like you! And naming you, too! I mean, who the heck is named Salt? That's not a name, that's what I put on my french fries!"

"My real name is Solomon," Salt said, still eating his crackers.

Kayla blinked. "Yeaaaaahhh... Stick with Salt, kiddo."

Salt didn't reply.

Pepper was still fuming, but she kept her tongue. Kayla could kill her, and Salt, if she wanted to. Seeing as her brother, though annoyingly silent, was her only family, she decided to be quiet and just wait for the truck.

She sighed. This job stunk.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Tony and Kirby were tearing through the forest, searching for the trio of thieves. Neither boy had been able to find any sign of Team Rocket, and they were both getting discouraged. Still, they pressed on, Lucky right behind them.<p>

After about an hour of running about, they sat down, gasping for breath. They sat there, depressed and destitute. "Ah, man..." Tony muttered. "All those poor Pokemon..."

Kirby looked down as well. "Dang it," he muttered. "I lost Scyther!" He punded the ground with his fists. "I can't believe this!"

Tony, even though he hadn't lost his Pokemon, still felt awful. A lot of people would be missing their Pokemon, and those punks were probably getting paid for it. "Darn it all..." he muttered.

Kirby gritted his teeth. Leaping up, he proclaimed, "It's not over! We can't give up now!"

Tony sighed. "But what can we do?" he asked. "They could be all the way to Pewter by now."

"Or maybe even Saffron," said Kirby, sadly. "They've been swarming there, as of late. But there's still a chance that they are still here! We can't give up now!"

"Free!" agreed Lucky.

Before Tony could answer, there was a loud rustling in the bushes. Tony jumped up, ready to order Lucky to attack, and Kirby pulled a bright red Pokeball off his belt, ready to throw it.

Before either could move, a duo of small Caterpie squirmed out of the bushes, staring curiously at the humans.

"Oh, sweet!" Tony said, showing his incredible attention span. "Caterpie! Heya, little guys!" He reached into his pocket. "Gimme a second to let me see if I have some Pokemon food..."

Kirby sighed. "Bug Catcher, huh?"

"Yeah," said Tony, checking his other pocket. "Big time."

Lucky floated down to the two Caterpie. "Free! Butter ter ree bree?"

"Pi?" one of the Caterpie replied.

"Bree! Ree bree!" Lucky shouted.

"Pie! Cater cat pie!" one of the Caterpie shouted. He turned around and began to point deeper into the forest. "Pie!"

Lucky grabbed Tony by the head, and dragged him in the direction the Caterpie had been poiting. "Wha-?" Tony said, surprised. "Lucky? Where are you taking me?"

"Bree!" Lucky shouted.

"Hey! Woah! Luuuckkkkyyyy!" Tony shouted, as the Butterfree pulled him through the forest, ignoring all the bushes and branches that were scraping him. The two Caterpie followed them.

"Hey!" shouted Kirby, waving his arms and running after Tony. "Where you going? We need to find those Rockets!"

"I can't help it!" shouted Tony. "She's stronger than she looks!"

Kirby groaned an ran after and the three Pokemon. "Get back here, you! We can't goofing off with those thieves on the loose!"

"I know!" Tony shouted. "But I can't stop her from- Whoa!"

Tony froze, managing to gain his footing as he came to steep hill in the woods. The Bug Catcher gasped in relief as he steadied himself. "Jeez, Lucky!" he said. "Don't do that! I could've gotten killed!"

"What? What could've-? Whoa!"

Kirby collided with Tony, and with a surprised grunt the two fell down the hill, rolling painfully on the ground and leaving Lucky and the Caterpie behind, confused by the sudden collision.

"Oww!" shouted Tony, as he slammed onto the ground. "Watch it!"

"Hey!" said Kirby. "You're the one who slammed into me, before! Consider us even! Besides, we can't stop now! We have to find those jerkish thieves!"

"Ahem!"

Tony and Kirby turned to see the trio of thieves. On the right, was a very red faced girl with dark greyish hair. Next to her, was a whiteish haired boy, with a rather bored expression. In between them was a tall woman, tapping a booted foot on the ground, with her arms crossed. Tony recognized her as the woman who smacked him right in the face with a briefcase. All three briefcases were leaning against a tree, the stolen Pokemon safely (or un-safely...) inside them.

Tony's face turned red. "Hey, you!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. "You're the thieves!"

The dark haired woman grins. "Well, brillaint observation, oh wise one!" she said. "But, I'm afraid you've made a mistake! I'm not a thief, I'm a bounty hunter. Well, technically, I'm whatever you need to be, provided you have the money! Kayla Reeds, at your service," she said, bowing.

Kirby growled. "Hey!" he shouted. "I don't care who or what your are, but you stole my Scyther! I want it back, pronto!"

Kayla chuckled. "Ooh!" she said, excited. "A Scyther! That's a rare Pokemon! I'm sure I'll get a nice bonus for that! All the more reason to not give them back!"

Kirby growled. "Then we'll make you give them back!" he shouted, grabbing a Pokeball from his belt. "Come on out, Taka!" he shouted, opening it.

A proud looking Pidgeotto emerged, cooing as she faced down her foes. "Pidgey!"

"Lucky!" shouted Tony, raising his arm. "To me! Let's take those Pokemon back!"

"Bree!" shouted Lucky, as she landed on Tony's head. The two Caterpie from earlier ran down the hill and struck their own battle poses.

Kayla shook her head, chuckling. "Ah, well," she said. "This should be good for a laugh... Salt! Pepper! Take care of our little rapscallions, would you?"

Pepepr blinked. "Wha-? Wait a second, you're the one who's talking all high and mighty to them! You take care of them!"

Kayla pulled out her knife again, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on," said Salt, pulling out a Pokeball. "Let's get this over with."

Pepper rolled her eyes, as the duo prepared for battle, drawing their Pokeballs.

"Go, Zubat!" shouted Salt.

"Ratatta, come on!" Pepper called, as her Pokeball snapped open.

Salt's Zubat and Pepper's Ratatta appeared, ready for battle. Ratatta gnashed her teeth, angrily, and Zubat shrieked as he flew next to his master. "Alright, losers!" shouted Pepper. "Time for you to get pounded!"

"Hey, wait a sec," said Tony. "Your names are 'Salt' and 'Pepper' and _we're_ the losers?"

Pepper's face turned red. "Why you little-?"

"He makes a good point," Salt said.

"Hey! Shut it!" shouted Pepper. "My name is Pepper because I'm more fiery than the hottest of flames! Don't get on my bad side!"

"Okay, so why are you Salt?" asked Kirby.

"She thought is was clever," Salt said, plainly.

"Shut up, Salt!" shouted Pepper.

"Shut up both of you and freaking fight those twerps!" shouted Kayla, bashing the two younger thieves in the back of their heads.

"Alright, alright!" Pepper said. "Yeesh. Okay, Ratatta! Make that stupid moth your chew toy!"

"Rat ta!" the Mouse Pokemon chattered.

"It's a Butterfree, not a moth!" shouted Tony. "You're not gonna get away with that!"

"Free!" shouted Lucky.

Kirby growled as Taka landed on his arm, falcon style. "Alright," he said. "You don't want to give them back? Then we'll take them back! Taka, use Fly!"

The Pidgeot cawwed as it took off, shooting through the trees.

"Zubat," Salt said. "After her."

"Zu!" Zubat shrieked, following the bird. The two enemies circled each other, swiping at each other with great force as they battled in the air.

Meanwhile Lucky and Ratatta were clashing down below. Lucky struggled to strike at her foe with her Confusion attack, but Ratatta was quick and nimble, dodging the strikes easily, before trying to bite Lucky with a powerful Hyper Fang. Thankfully, Lucky's advantage of flight aided her well.

The trainers were shouting orders and commandes, struggling to overcome their foes. All the while Kayla watched the fight, her eyes filled with what seemed to be a combination of childlike curiousity and sheer maliciousness.

"Zubat," ordered Salt, "use Supersonic."

The Zubat screeched shrilly at Taka, who was struggled to avoid the sonic blast.

"Use Mirror Move!" shouted Kirby. "Bounce it back!"

"Geot!" Taka shouted, as a shining force field surrounded her. The attack bounced off, and the waves of sound assaulted Zubat's ears. Shrieking in pain and confusin, the bat flew about uselessly.

"Zubat!" said Salt, raising his voice for once. "Snap out of it. Use Leech Life!"

Zubat managed to recieve the command, and charged, it's long fangs glowing in the little light in the woods. It charged at Taka...

And hit a tree, missing completely.

"Zuba..." Zubat muttered as he hit the ground, before slipping out cold.

Kirby grinned as Taka returned to his arm, perching on it. "One down..."

"... And one more to go!" shouted Tony. "Let's wrap this up, Lucky!"

"Don't let those idiots, win, Ratatta!" shouted Pepper. "Hyper Fang! Take out that bug!"

Tony grinned as the Ratatta shot foward, missing Lucky as she flew higher. "She may be a bug, but she won't get squashed so easily!"

"We'll see about that!" shouted Pepper. "Come on, get her! Use Hyper Fang again!"

"Dodge it, Lucky!" Tony shouted. The order, sadly, came too late. The Ratatta sunk her teeth into Lucky's wing. The Butterfree squealed in pain as it struggled to keep both of them airborne.

"Shake her off!" shouted Tony. "Try using Silver Wind!"

"Free!" Lucky quickly flapped her wings, generating enough force to shake the Ratatta loose and send it flying to the ground. The mouse Pokemon shrieked in pain, before joining Zubat in unconciousness.

"Dang it!" shouted Pepper, as she raised her hand and returned Ratatta to her Pokeball. "You won't get away with that!" she shouted at Tony and Kirby.

"Oh, shut up!" Kayla snapped. "You lose because you're both useless!" She pushed the two grunts aside. "Well, I suppose I'm the only one compitant enough to deal with you. Oh well. As my dear departed mother would say, 'if you want something done right, don't send a brain dead brat to do it'!" She pulled out two Pokeballs. "Persian, Weezing, get out here!"

The two fully evolved Pokemon emerged from their balls. Weezing was gasping and floating in the air, as toxic fumes poured from both of his swelled heads. Persian lazily sat on the ground, glaring at the Taka. The Pidgeot looked tasty...

"Looks like she has some decent Pokemon..." Kirby muttered.

Tony rolled his eyes. "That doesn't change anything!" he shouted. "Lucky, use Confusion on Weezing!"

Kayla rolled her eyes as the attack battered Weezing. "Oh, please," she said, as the Poison Gas Pokemon moaned in pain. "Is that all? Weezing! Sludgebomb!"

"Weeze!" Weezing growled, as he unleashed powerful bursts of sludge at Lucky. Lucky panicked, and she struggled to weave around the toxins. Sadly, one struck her, smashing her into a tree, her purple fur covered in slime.

"Lucky!" shouted Tony, running to help her.

Kayla smirked. "See?" she asked Salt and Pepper. "_This_ is how you Pokemon battle, kiddies."

Pepper folded her arms. "Whatever."

Kayla turned back to the battle. "Persian!" she shouted. "Eat the bird, please!"

Persian growled and shot foward, her eyes filled with malice.

"Taka, you ready?" asked Kirby.

"Pidgey!" Taka replied.

"Great! Now Fly!" shouted Kirby, as his bird took off, leaving a very dissapointed and hungry Persian on the ground.

"Weezing!" shouted Kayla. "Shoot the bird down!"

"Weeze..." Weezing unleashed a powerful burst of Sludge bomb, aiming for the bird. Thankfully, Taka was a faster flier, and the attacks never even came close.

"Keep firing!" shouted Kayla, clenching her teeth. "It can't run forever!"

"We don't plan on it! Use Mirror Move, and aim for that Persian!"

"Geot!" shouted Taka, as she covered herself in the silvery protection once more. The sludge reflected off and sailed down to Persian. The cat simply stared as the attack struck her, knocking right on top of Kayla. The bounty hunter gave a yelp as the out cold cat landed right on her. "Ouch..."

"Well," Pepper said, smugly. "You sure showed us."

"Shut up!" Kayla growled. "Weezing! Use Sludge Bomb on the boy!"

Kirby's eyes widened. "Ah, nuts!" he shouted, as Weezing began to blast foul smelling blobs at him.

"Pidgey!" shrieked Taka as she swooped down, her talons ready to carry her trainer away from harm. Before she could, a Sludge Bomb struck her. With a pained cry, she hit the ground.

"Taka!" shouted Kirby, as he helped the Pidgeot up.

"Come on!" shouted Kayla. "Hit him! He's just a kid!"

Weezing gasped poisons as he breathed one last Sludge Bomb, straight at Kirby.

"Silver Wind!"

A powerful gust of silver wind blew Weezing aside.

Tony ran over to help Kirby up, Lucky by his side, with a fierce and angry look on her face.

"Thanks," Kirby said.

"Not a problem," Tony said. "Now, let's take care of that Weezing!"

"Allow us," Kirby said. "Taka! Let's show them your Rage!"

The Pidgeot growled as she flew foward, striking the startled Weezing with the force of all her anger enpowered might. The Poison Gas Pokemon hit the ground right in front of Kayla, who had just managed to get Persian off her. The dark haired woman's face was red as the Weezing hit the ground, weakly, staring up at his trainer sadly.

Kayla kicked the Poison Type. "Stupid worthless little-!"

Tony gritted his teeth. "Alright," he said. "We beat you! Now, hand over the Pokemon!"

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Or what, you'll sic your Pokemon on me?"

Kirby blinked. "That was the idea, yes."

"Pie! Cater pie!"

"Pie pi cater cater!"

Kayla blinked and looked down. The two Caterpie who had led the boys and their Pokemon there were at her feet, shakingn their little forelegs at them angrily.

"Are you threatening me?" she asked, smiling. It was that "I'm really angry but pretending to be nice" smile. "Oh for the love of... Salt! Pepper! Grab the cases!"

Before either of the Rockets could do anything, the Caterpie began to spray the cases with String Shot, gluing them to the tree. Salt and Pepper tugged and pulled to no avail. "They're stuck!" Pepper exclaimed. "Dang it!"

Kayla growled as she kicked the Caterpie aside. "Danr Bugs! You ruined my plan!"

"Hey!" Tony shouted. "You can't treat Bug Pokemon like that!"

Kayla growled. "And who's gonna stop me? You?"

"No," Tony said. "Us!" he said, gesturing to Lucky, Taka, and Kirby. All of them were ready for round two.

Kayla forced herself to not scream and tackle the boys. "Alright," she said. "You win! Or you would have..." she said, staring down at Weezing. The Poison Gas Pokemon was still awake, though in pain. "If I still didn't have Weezing!" she cackled. She kicked the Poison Type at them. "Use Selfdestruct!"

Tony and Kirby gasped, and immedietly turned around. "Run!" they shouted, as Weezing began to glow with explosive energy. Lucky, Taka and the two Caterpie followed them. They made it about ten feet away, when...

KA-BOOM!

The powerful blast knocked the boys and their Pokemon away, knocking them out cold. Tony managed to cling onto conciousness, and he began to crawl towards the out cold form of Lucky, his hand reach out to help his best friend. "Hold still, girl... I'm coming..."

"I think not."

Kayla brought her booted foot down onto the Bug Catcher's hand. He cried out in.

"Still alive, I see," Kayla said, pulling out another knife. She kicked Tony in the rib, turning him over and pinning him to the ground. "Well, I'm happy to see that!" she said, placing the knife on his neck.

"Uh, boss?" asked Pepper, trying to pull the sticky string from the briefcases with her brother. "Mind giving us some help here?"

"Shut up!" Kayla snapped, before returning to Tony. "Y'see kiddo, most people don't like to mix business with pleasure, but for me, business _is_ pleasure." She placed the knife on his neck, light slicing into his skin. "Pokemon battles get old fast for me. This... this is what I love to do!" she said, as blood leaked from Tony's neck. Tony struggled to get away, but Kayla was much stronger, and the fact that he was still dizzy from the explosion didn't help. "So, kiddo, do me a favor, okay? I need you scream, nice and loud. I love that stuff."

Tony coughed as the woman's knife began to pierce his neck.

"Come on, scream! Scream!" Kayla shouted, as the knife began to dig deeper.

"Growlite! Ember, now!"

A fire ball struck Kayla's hand. She screamed and dropped the knife.

A bright light pierced through the darkness. Officer Jenny, along with five other police officers, were running at her through the woods, with a large pack of police trained Growlithe.

Kayla growled as she got off of Tony. "We'll finish this later,"s he informed the boy. She ran over to Salt and Pepper. "Let's go!" she shouted. "Grab the cases!"

"But they're still stuck!" Pepper complained.

Kayla growled and bashed the girl on the head for the umpteenth time. "Idiot! Fine, we'll just go!" She turned to the Officer Jenny, who was still in hot pursuit. "But you haven't seen the last of us!" Kayla shouted, running off.

"After them!" Jenny shouted. The cops chased after the thieves, into the forest.

Tony struggled to stay awake, but the fatigue was overtaking. The last thing he saw was Jenny's face, looking down at him and pulling bandages out of her bag.

And then, baby, everything went... black.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay, another chapter! Special thanks once more to 3rdbase101 for his OC Kirby Sellar!<strong>


	5. A new adventure

**Last time, on Tony's Journeys...**

**Tony ran into Viridian forest and met Kirby, a Bird Catcher who helped him track down Team Rocket. However, while they did defeat the thieves in battle, Kayla Reeds ordered her Weezing to Selfdestruct, knocking them all unconcious. Before Kayla could kill Tony, the police arrived, and Tony passed out. Are Tony and Kirby okay? What will become of them? Find out on this chapter!**

**And today's special thanks goes to... NinjaKiwi96 for her (I'm assuming you're a girl, feel free to kill me if I'm wrong) awesome OC! Thanks a ton!**

**And now, without further adeau...**

**P.S. Drink Gatorade!**

* * *

><p>"... be okay...?"<p>

"... could we let this happen?"

"... okay, Sally. He's alive..."

"... our fault! We should have watched him better..."

"... my fault, Sally. I should've gone with him..."

"... You had your own problems with Blue..."

"... I know, but still..."

"Ugh..."

"Shh! He's coming around!"

Tony slowly opened his eyes. Aunt Sally and Professor Oak were staring down at him, concern etched all over their faces. He as in his room, lying on his bed. The clock read 12:37. A little past midnight.

"What... what's going... How?" muttered Tony, confused and exhausted. He tried to get up, but Sally held him down.

"You need rest, honey!" his Aunt said. "You had a very busy day."

"Where's Lucky?" Tony asked, looking around. "Where's Kirby? Are they okay?"

"They're fine," Oak said. "Lucky is having a rest at my lab, and Kirby is in your guest room. You both need some rest, with all that running around you were doing."

Tony nodded, remembering yesterday's events. "My neck hurts," he said, rubbing his neck. It was covered in gauze.

Oak nodded. "Don't worry, I sewed it up. You were bleeding badly when Officer Jenny found you. There'll be a scar, but you'll make a full recovery soon. I can removed the bandages later

Tony nodded. "What about-?"

"The stolen Pokemon?" Oak said, taking the words out of Tony's mouth. "Don't worry about it, they've been recovered, along with the stolen Weezing."

"Stolen?" asked Tony, confused. "He was stolen, too?"

Oak nodded. "He was stolen about a month ago. His trainer is coming here to pick him up. She's been worried sick about him."

"Oh," Tony said. "Good." He moaned as he felt the dizziness setting in again.

Sally kissed him on the cheek. "Get some rest, honey," she said.

Tony nodded, and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Oh, my poor baby," sobbed Sally. She and oak were now sitting in the kitchen. Both were tired from their long day, and taking care of Tony after his injuries. "What was he thinking? That was so dangerous! He could have gotten killed!"<p>

Oak sighed. "He's very lucky that he wasn't. While it was brave and kind of him to go after the thieves, he shouldn't have done so without help from the police. He's very lucky that that Kirby fellow was kind enough to help him."

Sally nodded. "I'll have to be sure to thank him properly."

Oak chuckled. "Don't be so down," he said. "I know it was dangerous, but Tony was very courageous, doing what he did. If he didn't, a lot of kids wouldn't have their Pokemon. He is very brave." He smiled warmly at Sally. "He had two great teachers."

"Three, if you count Pappy," said Sally, managing to smile. And four, if you count you. He's growing up, I guess. There's nothing I can do about."

"You've already done so much for him," Oak said. "After... you know who left him, he had no one but you and your husband. Oh, and Pappy."

"And you," repeated Sally. "He looks up to you a lot."

Oak chuckled. "I get that a lot," he admitted.

"He does, though," Sally said. "He reads your books all the time. He really enjoys studying Pokemon, you know."

Oak nodded. "Actually... About that... See, I have a proposition to make, for Tony..."

* * *

><p>The next morning came around, and Tony woke up, along with Kirby. The other boy had been surprised to find himself in the Miller household, and even more surprised when Sally Miller had given him a fresh pair of clothes and set out a large breakfast for him and Tony. Aunt Sally had practically shoved copious amounts of orange juice, cereal and eggs down his throat. She was a kind lady, but a little overbearing. Still, Kirby liked her. He could see where Tony got his easygoing personality from. Kirby had been thrilled to learn that Taka had been cared for by Professor Oak himself, though he could barely believe it himself. He made a note to himself to thank the old man later. Plus, he had always wanted to meet the Professor Oak. Tony was lucky, living near the genius Pokemon scientist.<p>

Now, he was listening to Pappy, Tony's obviously senile grandfather. "Y'know what, kiddo? That was a pretty brave thing ya did. You're courageous, I'll give ya that."

"Thanks," Kirby said, nodding.

"But ya know what ya really need?" Pappy asked, between chewing his eggs. "A Magikarp!"

Kirby blinked. One of the weakest known Pokemon?

"Magikarp give ya disipline! They help make ya a man!" Pappy said, proudly. "I had a Magikarp when I was your age, and I was one heckuva trainer! I'll show ya my Badges later."

"Pappy!" said Sally. "No bothering Kirby! He's out guest!" She held up a pitcher. "More juice?"

"No thank you, ma'am," Kirby said. "I'm good. Thanks for the breakfast! It was great!"

"Anything for one of Tony's friends!" Sally said. "You know, he hasn't had any real human interaction with anyone his age for such a long time now!"

"Auntie..." Tony said, his face turning red.

"Sorry," Sally said. "Well, you two finish eating. Professor Oak still has your Pokemon, and he has something he wants to say to Tony!" She walked away, heading outside, humming to herself with that 'I know something you don't know' look on her face.

Tony blinked. _What is she planning?_

"Nice lady," Kirby said, as he sipped his juice.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, she is." He turned to Kirby. "By the way, I want those clothes back when you're done!"

Kirby nodded. "Hey, man, you can have them. They're a little tight on me, anyway." Changing the subject, he said, "So, when are we heading to the lab to pick up our Pokemon?"

Tony's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! Lucky probably misses me... and I still need to see your Scyther!"

Kirby sweatdropped. "Right," he said, standing up. "Let's go thank your aunt and then head off!"

Before they could, Aunt Sally came in with the mail. "Bills, bills, bills... Oh, Tony... There's a letter for you." She handed Tony an envelope.

Tony read who it was from. "Anna Maruko." Without a word, he tossed the letter into the trash can.

Kirby frowned, but said nothing.

"We're going now, Aunt Sally!" said Tony, putting on his shoes. "Lucky probably misses me!"

"Okay!" Sally said. "You two have fun!"

"We will!" both of the boys said, running outside.

"Sheesh," Pappy said. "No one wants ta hear 'bout the joy of raising Magikarp."

"If you want to see a Magikarp raised up to a Gyrados again, why don't you go out and catch a Magikarp to raise?" asked Sally, with a grin. "It'll give you something to do."

Pappy considered it. "Hmmmm..." He stood up and walked off to his room. About a minute later, he returned. "I'm goin' down by the fishin' hole!"

Sally chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, Pappy..."

* * *

><p>"Ah! Tony and Kirby!" Professor Oak exclaimed. The two boys had just entered his lab while Oak was feeding three Pokemon, a Squirtle, a Bulbasaur, and a Charmander on the table. His grandson, the red haired Blue Oak, was busy in the corner of the room, examining some Goldeen scales under a microscope. The trainer didn't see the two boys as they entered, but that was normal. Blue had a habit of getting absorbed by his work. Besides, Tony preferred to avoid speaking to Blue. He was a bit obnoxious.<p>

"So good to see you both," Oak said. "I trust that you want your Pokemon back, correct?"

"Yeah!" Tony said. "Thanks for taking care of them for us!"

"Not a problem!" Oak said, picking their Pokeballs up from the table and opening them up.

Lucky, Taka, a Farfetch'd that Tony hadn't seen before, and a beautiful green Scyther emerged from the spheres.

"Heya, girl!" Tony said as Lucky happily landed on his head. "How are you feeling?"

"Free! Butter ree!" Lucky replied, happily.

Kirby walked over to his Scyther with a grin. "Heya, Blade," he said. "How have ya been?"

The Scyther replied. "Scy scy! Scyther ther scy?"

Kirby chuckled. Blade probably had no idea what had happened between them and Team Rocket. "I'll tell you about it later, boy," he promised.

"So," Tony said, running up to him, "this is your Scyther! He looks great!" He examined the Mantis Pokemon closely. The Scyther looked very healthy and strong (and a little bit awkward, with Tony staring at him like that...) "Wow, Kirby! This is an awesome Scyther! What's his name?"

"Blade," Kirby replied. "Caught him in the good ol' Safari Zone, back in Fuschia City. They're pretty rare, too. Normally, I wouldn't have a Bug Type on my team, but Scyther are just way to good to pass up."

Tony nodded. Well, everyone couldn't like Bug Pokemon the way he did. Still, they Scyther was very amazing.

Blade stared back at the boy awkwardly, unable to understand why the boy was staring at him like that.

"Free butter ree, ree tter reebree," said Lucky. ("Forgive him, he's a Bug Maniac.")

Scyther nodded. "Scy..." ("Ah...")

"Hey," Tony said, looking down at the small Farfetch'd on the floor. "Who's this little guy here?"

Kirby smiled as he picked up the Farfetch'd. "This is Tim," he said. "He's my third Pokemon. He doesn't like to battle much, so I usually don't use him. He's more of a walking companion than a fighter, but he's still my friend."

"Neat," said Tony, examining the Wood Duck Pokemon. Tim looked pretty laid back. He was carrying a leek that all Farfetch'd seem to carry, and his feathers were very neatly brushed. "Hiya, Tim."

The Farfetch'd stared back, saying nothing.

Kirby chuckled. "He's a bit shy," he said, putting Tim down.

"Pidgey! Pidgeotto, pidge!" scolded Taka. ("Don't be so rude to Kirby's friend!")

Tim said nothing in reply. (Get used to that, folks. Hey, I got Taka's species right for once!)

"I'm glad to see you're happy," Oak said. "Now, before you go, I have something I need to show you, Tony." He walked over to his messy desk, and began to dig through a massive pile of research papers. "Let's see... Paras fungus growth report... no, that's not it... Uh, that's my Krabby growth rate paper, my Rattata teeth chart... Blue's school musical invitation?" He turned to Blue. "When was your school musical?"

"About five years ago, Gramps," Blue answered.

"Oh." Oak sweatdropped. "Oops... Sorry."

"Don't be," Blue answered. "I wasn't there either. We were studying that Kabuto fossil, remember?"

Professor Oak nodded. "Ah, yes! Now I remember!" He began to rummage through his belonging again. "Hmm... now where is that thing?"

"Gramps, you left it in the kitchen when you ate breakfast," Blue said, placing another sample under his microscope. "You spilled maple syrup on it, remember?"

Oak slapped himself. "Thank you, Blue," he said, running off to the kitchen. "Stay there, boys! I'll be back in a flash!"

He ran off to the kitchen, leaving Kirby and Tony standing there, sweatdropping awkwardly. Seconds later, Oak ran back, with a plastic (and slightly sticky) gadget in his hands. "Here it is!" he said, handing the green device to Tony.

"Uh, thanks, Professor!" Tony said. "But... I already have a DS..."

Oak slapped himself on the forehead. "It's not a DS, Tony!" he said. "It's a Pokedex!"

Tony blinked. "It is?" he whispered, barely daring to believe it.

"That's right," Oak said, taking it from the boy and holding it in the air. "The Pokedex! My greatest creation! With this, you can instantly record the data of any Pokemon! If you're holding this device, you can easily create an entire encyclopedia of Pokemon! Much more impreSsive than a Nintendo DS!"

"But can it play Phantom Hourglass?" Kirby asked.

Oak frowned. "You're ruining this for me," he said.

Kirby chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry. Continue."

Oak placed the Pokedex in Tony's hand. "Here," he said. "Try it out!"

Tony pointed the Dex at Lucky. "What button do I hit?"

"The red one," Oak said.

"Right! Alright, let's see..." Tony muttered, hitting the red button. There was a brief flash, like a camera.

**"Butterfree," **the Pokedex said. **"The Butterfly Pokemon. Butterfree fly from flower to flower, sipping sweet nectar. They are very social, and like to travel in flocks, even settling for other Bug Pokemon if there aren't any other Butterfree nearby. They are common in the Viridian Forest of Kanto, which lies in between Route 1 and Viridian City. This subject is female, and scans indicate that it is eight years old."**

"Whoa!" Kirby said. "That thing is fast! It has all that?"

"Yeah, and more!" Tony said. "It has moves it can learn, when mating season starts, how quickly their eggs hatch, everything!" He grinned as he turned the Dex to Blade, hitting the red button.

**"Scyther, the Mantis Pokemon. Scyther are very territorial, and will fight each other for territory. Their arms are sharp blades that they use to fight and catch their food. They are very rare, and can usually be found in the Safari Zone in Fuschia city, Kanto."**

Kirby whistled, impressed. "That's where I caught him," he said.

**"Subject is male, and scans indicate that it is Four years old. There is a small scar on the lower parts of his abdomen, likely result of battle or a accidental, self inflicted injury."**

"Sc-scy!" ("He-hey!") Blade exclaimed, his face turning red.

The other Pokemon struggled not to snicker.

Oak chuckled, but then his face turned serious. "Tony," he said. "I'm giving you the chance of a lifetime! You want to prove to everyone that Bug Pokemon are amazing, right? You can show them with this!" he said. "I want you to work for me, as my field researcher! I want you to go to every town in Kanto, and record information on every Pokemon you see. Once you return, you can take all that information on Bug Pokemon and make a book about it, your own guide to Bug Pokemon!"

Tony's eyes became stars. "Wow!" he whispered. "I mean... working for you? Writing a book! Professor, sir, this is awesome... but, I'm not sure if Aunt Sally will..."

"Oh, but she will, Tony," Oak chuckled. "You see, I already got her permission."

Tony blinked. "Really?" he exclaimed. "Whoa. After yesterday, I wasn't sure if she'd ever let me leave Pallet Town again!"

"Well, she was a little worried at first," Oak explained, "but I managed to convince her that you would be okay. Besides, you won't be travelling alone!"

Tony blinked. "I won't?"

"Nope," Oak said. "A trainer I know, Tayuyu Yamiki, will be going with you on your journey!"

"Tayuyu?" asked Tony. "Who's she? I've never heard of her."

"Well, she's a trainer who comes around here sometimes," said Oak. "She's off in Viridian right now, taking on the Gym Leader, and when she's done, she'll be here. She has a lot of experience, and several badges, so she should be the perfect choice for your partner."

Tony nodded. "Alright," he said. "Sure beats travelling alone."

"Free!" Lucky said.

Tony rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Lucky. Didn't mean it like that! I just meant, y'know, human conversation!"

Lucky nodded. "Free."

"Hey," Kirby said. "If you're going on a journey, mind if I tag along? I'm going back to Fuschia city to visit my family, and I could use some more company."

Tony nodded. "Sure thing! It'll give me more time to examine Blade!"

Blade sweatdropped. "Scy..."

Oak nodded. "I agree," he said. "I remember when I went out on a journey, back when I was a boy! I had such good friends with me, including your grandfather!" He frowned. "Although, he never did shut up about how awesome his Magikarp would be when they evolved..."

Tony nodded. "Oh, yeah. That's Pappy."

Oak nodded. "Well, here's hoping your journey will go as well as mine did!" he said, patting Tony on the back. "You'd better go home and pack! I'll give you what you need when you're ready!"

Tony grinned. "Ah, yeah!" he said. "Come on, Lucky! Let's go!"

"Bree!" Lucky cheered, following Tony out of the lab.

Kirby looked at Oak, raising his eyebrow. "You sure you want that guy to be your research assistant?"

Oak nodded. "He's smarter than he acts. Much smarter."

Kirby shrugged. "Well, guys," he said, turning to his Pokemon, "looks like we have a trip to plan."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the Viridian City Gym, a fierce battle was raging. Dust was flying everywhere, roars of pain and triumph echoed through the stone walls. After a particularly harsh bow, the first of the two combatants, a large Charizard, stumbled back, clutching her wounded stomach.<p>

The Charizard's trainer, fifteen year old Tayuyu Yamiki, gritted her teeth as the Charizard fell down to one knee. "Blaze!" she shouted. "Are you okay?"

Blaze didn't answer. She was too busy glaring up at her opponent. A large Rhyhorn stalked towards her, his eyes filled with fury that equalled her own. "Char..." she growled, standing up.

Tayuyu felt sweat dripping down her brow. She had been losing this entire battle. Her first two Pokemon were inside their Pokeballs, badly beaten, despite Mach, her Machamp, having a type advantage against the Rhydon. She was losing. Again.

"Alright," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Let's do this! Use your Flare Blitz!"

"Char!" Blaze said, standing up. She roared angrily as she charged at the Rhydon, releasing a massive burst of fire upon the Rock Type.

The Rhydon barely even flinched.

"Rhydon," the Pokemon's trainer ordered. "Horn Drill."

The Rock Type's eyes narrowed as he siezed the Charizard, before smashing his massive horn into her. With a pained cry, Blaze fell, knocked out by the vicious blow. Dust flew into the air, surrounding Tayuyu. The red haired girl coughed, as she pulled out an inhaler, taking a few breaths from it with one hand, and waving the dust away with the other.

"Tayuyu has no remaining Pokemon," the referee said. "The winner is Leader Giovanni."

Tayuyu sighed as she returned Blaze to her Pokeball. "Good job, girl," she whispered.

The sound of applause caught her attention.

A tall, muscular middle aged man was walking towards her through the battlefield. "You've gotten better," he congratulated. "You managed to knock out my Nidoqueen this time."

Tayuyu nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Giovanni," she said.

Giovanni examined the battlefield. "Well," he said. "You managed to make a total mess out of the place. Not bad. Not bad at all."

Tayuyu sighed. "I still didn't win."

Giovanni nodded. "But, you did come closer. All you need is more training. Serious training."

Tayuyu nodded. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Giovanni shook his head. "Don't 'keep that in mind', ma'am. Do it. The world is made by hard work, not maybe's."

Tayuyu nodded, quickly. "Thank you, sir," she said. "When I come back, I'll be stronger! I promise!"

Giovanni nodded. "I shall hold you to that promise," he said, before walking off. "Until then, get some rest."

Tayuyu nodded, walking off.

Giovanni watched her go. She was strong, and so much potential. Perhaps she would defeat him, one day. But until then, he had business to attend to.

The Leader scowled to himself as he walked to his office. The gym's attendants began to clean the battlefield, sweeping aside the piles of gravel that had been scattered about by the fight. The Gym Leader handed his Pokeballs to an attendant, before heading to his office. After a long day, he was finally done. Done with his duties as a Gym Leader.

Being a Gym Leader was hard. Very hard. Trainers like Tayuyu came by daily, and they often stayed for days, hoping to defeat him. Tayuyu had been there for a leat three day. Three days of facing him and losing. Usually very badly. And she was just one of such trainers. There were far to many for his tastes. Sure, there were a few thrilling battles against powerful foes that he did enjoy, but usually it was just small, weak children, hoping to become master trainers just by beating him.

He sighed as he walked to the back of the Gym, flinging open the doors that led to his officer. His little sanctuary.

"Mr. Giovanni," greeted his secretary, Wendy. The woman was sitting behind her desk as he walked in, waiting for him.

"Ms. Wendy," Giovanni greeted back.

"Sir," Wendy said, right before he opened the door to his office. "Uh... You-know-who is here. I told her to wait for you."

Giovanni rubbed his eyes. "Coffee," he ordered. "Black, with one spoonful of suger."

Wendy nodded. "Yessir," she said, getting up to make the coffee.

Giovanni groaned as he opened the door to his office. Naturally, Kayla Reeds was waiting for him. The woman was tossing a knife between her hands, watching the blade shine as it flew through the air. She was sitting on the chair that lay directly across from his desk, her feet up on his desk as usual.

"Ms. Reeds," Giovanni greeted.

Kayla looked up, losing track of where the knife went. The blade struck the woman's unguarded hand, drawing blood before falling to the floor. "Ah, Giovanni!" she said. "Took you long enough."

Giovanni walked behind his desk, sitting down on his chair. "We need to talk."

"So we do," Kayla said, ignoring her bleeding hand. "So, when do I get paid?"

"You want to get paid?" Giovanni growled. "Then try doing your job!" He gritted his teeth. "I'm paying you amazingly large sums of money to work for me, and you can't even rob a simple Pokemon Center?"

Kayla shrugged. "Puh-lease!" she said. "You're acting like this my fault!"

"I wonder why?" Giovanni groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, come on!" Kayla said. "It isn't my fault; those two morons you gave me were completely incapable of anything useful in the slightest!"

"That's why I sent them!" Giovanni shouted. "Because I was hoping they'd learn a thing or two from you! You were the one who as in charge, therefore you are the one who botched the mission! Do you have any idea how much money it took to break you out of that mental asylum in Hoenn?"

Kayla raised her hands. "Easy there, chief!" she said. "That can't be good for your blood pressure!"

"Speaking of blood..." Giovanni gestured to her bleeding hand.

Kayla looked at her bleeding hand. "Aaaannnnnnd... your point is?"

"You're getting blood all over my carpet."

"Oh!" Kayla said. "Right." She held her hand over Giovanni's desk. "There we go..."

Giovanni raised an eyebrow. He knew he shouldn't have hired this... this _maniac._ "Your contract is terminated," he said. "I knew I should have hired Hunter J."

Kayla's face quickly warped from one of humor and carelessness to one of pure rage. "J?" she shouted. "J? That one eyed daughter of a Growlithe couldn't catch a cold, much less a valuable Pokemon!"

Giovanni chuckled. "Her record says otherwise."

"Oh, her record says otherwise," Kayla spat. "I swear, if you do hire her, I want five minutes alone with her. Just five. If she's still alive by then, she can have this job!" She placed her bleeding hand over her left eye like an eyepatch. "Hey, look at me!" she snarled. "I'm Hunter J! I ride around in an airship and have henchmen, so that makes me better than everyone!"

"You have a grudge against her?"

Kayla rolled her eyes. "She steals a ton of my work! You know, I almost never get to blow anything up anymore because of her!"

Giovanni sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Reeds was still of use to him. "Very well," he said. "I will find you a mission, suitable to your skills. If you succeed, you may keep your job. If you fail, you will no longer be of use to me."

Kayla smirked. "Ooh, you're threatening me now! I like that."

Wendy chose this moment to walk in. "Your coffee," she announced.

"No thanks, not thirsty," Kayla said, standing up and walking off. "Tell me when you have that mission for me, chief!"

Wendy handed the coffee to Giovanni. "Black, one spoon of sugar," she said.

Giovanni nodded, sipping it.

"Sir?" Wendy asked. "If I may ask, what were you talking about?"

"Business, Wendy," Giovanni said. "Just business."

He leaned back and sipped his coffee.

* * *

><p>"Here you go! Your Pokemon are fighting fit! Thanks for using our Pokemon center!"<p>

Tayuyu nodded, as she took her Pokeballs back. "Thanks, Joy," she said, thankful that she had actually come this far. The Pokemon Center was crowded today. A lot of people were waiting in line, and two police officers were at the door, keeping firm watch on all who were coming. Apparently, there had been a robbery the other day. By Team Rocket.

Tayuyu frowned as she walked out of the Center. Team Rocket, Team Rocket, Team Rocket. That's all what was on the news as of late. The mysterious terrorist organization had been attacking travellers, trainers, and now, Pokemon Centers. It was always on the news, and it was more than a little bit depressing to her. More depressing than her third loss at the gym, even.

To be honest, she was having a bit of a losing streak as of late. The reason she had come back to the her hometown of Viridian was to face Giovanni after losing several times to Blaine, of Cinnabar Island. Her team wasn't made to take down Fire types, nor Ground types it seemed.

Tayuyu sighed as she walked outside the Pokemon Center. The sun was coming down, and she was feeling tired. Maybe is was about time she went home for the day. A nice hot dinner and a nap would do her and her team good. But first, to address the troops.

She pulled out her Pokeballs and opened them up. Blaze, her Machamp Mach, and her Ninetails, Kyubi.

"Heya, guys," she said. "And girl."

"Niyen."

"Cham."

"Char."

Tayuyu sighed. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's my fault we lost. I wasn't giving good commands, and we lost because of that."

"Char!" Blaze said, denying her trainer's words.

"Champ!"

"Nine!"

Her other two Pokemon were quick to agree.

Tayuyu smiled sadly. "Ah, come on," she said. "Alright. We'll train more later. Until then let's go to Pallet Town! Professor Oak is waiting for us! And so's the new kid..." She sighed. "Ah, man..." Tayuyu faintly remembered when she began training, years ago. The very first day she had nearly gotten killed when she was running though Route 1 without her inhaler. One hospital trip later, and her Mom was reluctant to even let her out of the house ever again.

Still, she needed to make sure this kid didn't die. And, she had promised the Professor, the one who had given her Blaze. So, she had to do it. "Come on," she said. "Let's go to Pallet Town."

Her Pokemon agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>Man, this is the only story I can seem to work on. Well, this and Fast Love II. Hmm. Well, the Titans Neo fans aren't gonna be happy with me. Nor are the Explorers of Prehistory fans. Thankfully, Dissidia barely has much of a fanbase for non slash fanfics, so Birds of a Feather can wait. (Sorry Kuja. And Terra. You shall be avenged! AVENGED I SAY!)<strong>

**Uh, right, onto Pokemon. Well, Tayuyu is a fun name to right (try saying it three times fast) and she seems to be a fun kinda girl. I look forward to writing for her in the future, despite my fear of writing anyone with any kind of sickness or different nationality. Thankfully, I know people with asthma, so I should hopefully be able to get it right!**

**Give me reviews please! I love 'em!**


	6. Tony VS Tayuyu!

**Last time on Tony's Journey…**

**Tony woke up in his room, after a nearly fatal encounter with dangerous mental case Kayla Reeds. Tony and his friend, Kirby were both alive, and safe. So, after a very large breakfast courtesy of Tony's Aunt Sally, the two went to see Professor Oak, the authority of Pokemon studies. Oak revealed that he wanted to hire Tony as his field researcher, to go out and study Pokemon. With the new Pokedex in his hands, Tony prepares for his journey to study all Pokemon, and become a Bug Type master! Meanwhile, we saw a new trainer, Tayuyu, who will be coming with Tony on his journey. She has just lost to Giovanni, the Gym Leader of Viridian City, and feels that the journey will strengthen her. Meanwhile, we learned the Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket, and broke Kayla Reeds out of a mental institution to work for him. Now, he plots for a crime better suited to the psychopath's abilities! What happens next? Find out now! In this chapter, Tayuyu and Tony meet, and Tony gets a brand new Pokemon from Johto!**

* * *

><p>"Tony did WHAT?"<p>

If Uncle Brad had been in the house, his voice would have echoed throughout the home, scaring everyone. Thankfully, the man was on the phone, in an entire other country. Brad was an archeologist, working for Professor Oak and Professor Elm in Johto, examining the ruins of Alph. There were rumors of a legendary Pokemon that had been seen there. But now, Uncle Brad was talking with his wife about Tony's latest escapades.

"He fought against that group of criminals called Team Rocket," said Aunt Sally.

"Why would he do something like that?" Uncle Brad asked. "He could've gotten killed or kidnapped!"

Sally sighed. "That's just the way that Tony is, dear."

Brad sounded paranoid. "And now you're letting him go and be Oak's research assistant? What if he runs into those clowns again and he gets hurt or worse?"

Sally sighed. "Dear, you went on a journey like his when you were younger."

"I had my dad with me!" Brad said.

"And Tony will have a young lady who is one of Professor Oak's aides," Sally said.

Brad sighed. "Alright…" he said. "I'm not gonna be able to talk him out of it, am I?"

"Probably not," Sally admitted. "He's already packing."

Brad sighed again. "Alright," he said. "I'll be home in a few weeks anyway, so I'll be sure to go and find him." He paused, and then added, "But he will call both of us every day, and we will check up on him daily," he said firmly.

Sally nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way!" she said.

Over the phone, Brad nodded. "Glad to hear," he said. "Thanks for letting me know, dear. Besides, this'll be good for him. He'll get to meet new people, see new places, and learn about the world."

"He'll also be garnering research for his book," said Sally with a grin.

Brad chuckled. "Right," he said. "Well, it looks like he's growing up. And I'm not even there to see it."

"You will be, soon," Sally said. "Do you want to talk to him?"

"Yeah," said Brad. "I'll call him after lunch, okay?"

"Okay," said Sally. "Good bye, hon."

"Wait!" Brad said, suddenly. "Wait a second, Sally, I have something here…"

"What is it?" Sally asked.

"Last night, I got a present for Tony…" said Brad. Sally could hear rummaging in the background, meaning that Brad was probably digging through his bag. "Here we are!" he announced. "I'm gonna call Oak and send the little guy to him, alright?"

"Okay, but what is it?" asked Sally.

"You'll see when I send it!" Brad said, excitedly. "Good-bye now, honey," he said. "I'll call you after I've sent the present over to Oak!"

Before Sally could say another word, the phone went dead. "He always does that!" she complained.

Shrugging, Aunt Sally left to make lunch.

* * *

><p>"Already then… Spare clothes?"<p>

"Bree!"

"Check. Swim suit?"

"Bree!"

"Good. Your favorite Pokemon food?"

"…Bree…"

Tony turned around to see Lucky, who was guiltily clutching a can of Pokemon food, now halfway empty. "Hey!" he said. "That's for the trip! Come on, we need to conserve!"

Lucky sighed sheepishly as she placed the can back in Tony's bag.

"Good girl," Tony said. He looked back at the list, asking, "Now, sandals, spare shoes and socks?"

"Bree, ree, ter ree!"

Tony grinned as he zipped up his shoulder bag. "Then we are all packed!" he said. "Now we're ready for our new job, right, Lucky?"

Lucky chirped happily, flitting next to her trainer's head.

"Good!" Tony said, as he swung the bag over his shoulder. With a grin, he ran down the stairs. Aunt Sally was making their lunch, warm grilled cheese. Kirby was sitting at the table, sweatdropping nervously while Aunt Sally waited on him hand and foot.

"I'm all packed!" announced Tony, sitting down on his chair and hastily beginning his lunch.

Aunt Sally smiled as she sat down herself. "Glad to hear," she said. "I don't want you to be gone for several months without having enough clothing."

Tony nodded. No use going on a journey in dirty clothes.

"You all packed, Kirby?" Tony asked.

Kirby nodded as he ate his sandwich. "Ready as I'll ever be. Blade, Taka and Tim are all rested up and ready to go."

Tony gave him thumbs up. "Awesome!" he said, before swiftly digging into his own meal.

"Well, it seems both you boys are packed, then!" said Aunt Sally, sitting down with her own lunch. "You didn't forget your toothbrush, did you?"

"No, Aunt Sally," Tony said, inwardly sighing.

"Good," Aunt Sally said. "I expect you to remember to keep up with your basic hygiene, clear?"

"Yes, Aunt Sally."

"Good. How about fresh socks?"

"Aunt Sally!"

Sally laughed. "I'm just teasing you!" she said. "Finish up your lunch and hurry over to the lab. We don't want to keep Ms. Tayuyu waiting, do we?"

"Nope," said Tony, shoveling his sandwich into his mouth as quickly and politely as he could.

Pappy chose this moment to walk in. The old man had a very satisfied smile on his face, and a large fishbowl containing a – you guessed it – Magikarp. The old man placed the bowl on the table, grinning. "Caught one," he announced.

"Congratulations," said Aunt Sally. "Now please, no Pokemon on the table."

"He's not on the table," said Pappy. "He's in a bowl on the table." He picked up a sandwich and broke off a piece of bread, dropping it into the bowl. The Magikarp ate it up. "You and me, Cap'n," Pappy said, grinning. "You and me."

"Karp! Magikarp!" the Magikarp replied.

"Cap'n?" asked Kirby.

"Of course!" said Pappy. "He is gonna be in charge of my team, once I get it ready."

"More Magikarp?" asked Tony, inwardly sighing.

"No, not just Magikarp," Pappy said. "Maybe I'll add some Goldeen and Tentacool."

"Both good choices," said Kirby, nodding. Both Water Types could be great, if trained well.

"Oh, why did it have to be Tentacool?" Aunt Sally moaned. She had been scared of Jellyfish Pokemon every since she was a girl. "You know I don't like those things, Pappy!"

"Well, being around one will do ya good!" Pappy said. "You'll feel more comfortable around them!"

"He has a point, Aunt Sally," Tony said.

Sally folded her arms. "Hmph… You boys won't be catching any of those, right?"

"Nope," Kirby said. "I don't catch anything that doesn't fly, ma'am."

"And I'm a Bug Trainer," said Tony. "No Tentacool coming from us!"

Aunt Sally nodded. "Good," she said, relieved. "Now finish your lunch and get going to the lab!"

Tony and Kirby nodded, before finishing their meals and heading out the door. "We'll be back later, Aunt Sally!"

Aunt Sally waved as they went to the lab and sighed as she put the boys' dishes in the sink. "You'd think they'd remember to clear their plates…"

Pappy didn't answer. He was too busy grinning at his Magikarp.

Oddly enough, the fish was grinning back.

* * *

><p>Professor Oak sighed happily as he sipped his bowl of tomato soap, enjoying the delicious taste of his lunch. Being an expert on all things Pokemon and being a world renowned genius was nice and all, but it was hard work, so a nice hot lunch was always appreciated. "Blue," he said. "Stop looking at those Dratini scales! Come and get some lunch!"<p>

Blue shook his head. "Gotta finish that report on Dratini, Gramps…"

Oak rolled his eyes. That grandson of his…

There was a knock on the door. "Professor?" a female voice asked.

Oak smiled. "Ah, Tayuyu! You're here! Come in, come in!"

The red headed trainer walked inside, smiling. "Hey, Professor," she said, as the old man stood up and shook her hand. "Good to see you again."

"Good to see you, too," said Oak. "You're just in time. Tony should be over any minute now."

"Good," said Tayuyu. She turned over to Blue. "Hey, Blue!" she greeted.

Blue waved his hand back, not paying attention. Tayuyu sweat dropped. _He always does that,_ she thought. "So, when's this Tony guy getting here? I want to be back in Viridian before nightfall!"

"He was eating lunch, last time I checked," said Oak. "He's all packed and ready to go. Thanks again for taking him with you! It'd be crazy to send a young, inexperienced boy into the world alone!"

Tayuyu nodded. "We'll be fine, provided he isn't a whiner. If all he did was complaining every step we took, I'd explode!"

Oak rubbed the girl's head. "That's the spirit!" he said. "Don't worry. Tony can handle a lot. He's quite the bright young man! Just let him get the data we need and everything will turn out fine!"

There was another knock on the door, and a boy with sandy blonde hair (and no shoes, oddly enough). "Heya, Professor," he greeted.

"This guy's Tony?" asked Tayuyu. _He's older than I expected. Maybe this won't be so bad after all…_

"No, I'm Kirby," the boy said. "Tony's on his way. He got distracted by a Beedrill."

Tayuyu blinked. "Oh," she said. "He didn't get stung or anything did he?"

"No, he's good," said Kirby. "He's just adding data to his Pokedex." He shook the girl's hand. "Tayuyu, right? I'm Kirby, your other travelling buddy."

"What?" Tayuyu asked, looking at Oak. "You said I was only taking that Tony kid."

Oak sweatdropped, chuckling. "Oops…" he said. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Kirby said. "I can take care of myself and pull my own weight around. I'm not a rookie."

Tayuyu nodded. "You'd better not be," she warned, half joking.

Kirby grinned. "Don't worry about me. Worry about Tony."

Another boy, dressed in a blue shirt and wearing a sunhat walked in, a Butterfree following him. The boy was grinning as he checked his Pokedex. "Heh…" he chuckled. "That's another one down! Let's see… only about one hundred and forty seven to go…"

Oak cleared his throat, catching his attention. "Ah, Tony!" he said. "You're finally here. All packed?"

"Yeah," Tony said, pocketing his Pokedex. "All packed, eaten, and ready for a long trip!"

"Glad to hear," Oak said. "This is Tayuyu," he said, gesturing to the redhead. "She will be accompanying you on your journey!"

"Heya!" Tony said, shaking the girl's hand. "Nice to meet you! Oh, and this is Lucky!" he said, gesturing to Lucky.

"Bree!" said Lucky, happily.

"Uh, likewise!" Tayuyu said, surprised. _He's an upbeat one…_

"Thanks for agreeing to come along!" Tony said, happily. "My Aunt would have never let me go alone!"

"Right," said Tayuyu.

"What am I, chopped liver?" asked Kirby.

Tony chuckled. "Oh, right, sorry. You've met Kirby, right?"

"Right," Tayuyu said.

"Good!" Tony said. "So, Professor, where to we go first?"

"The very first Gym is in Viridian City. It's lead by a business man named Giovanni. Not a bad fellow, if I do say so myself," Oak said.

"No way," Tayuyu said. "Uh, no offense, but you're just starting out! I just came from Viridian and Giovanni stomped my team!"

Tony looked a little discouraged and angry, but ignored it. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. What's the next town?"

"Pewter City," said Oak. "The Gym Leader is Brock, who uses Rock Types. He's a little… odd, but also not a bad fellow."

"Oh, I've met Brock," Tayuyu said, rubbing the back of her head.

Kirby nodded. "Yeah, he is a bit odd…"

"Well, was he super hard and impossible to beat?" asked Tony.

"No," said Tayuyu. "It'll take some training, but it's doable."

"Perfect!" Tony said. "I'll start with Brock then!"

"After him is Misty," Tayuyu said distastefully. "She's a bit of a pain, but still not a problem, if you're ready. By the way, she's lying about her 'all out offensive water strategy', trust me."

"Noted," Tony replied.

"Then we have Surge from Vermillion, Erika from Celedon, Koga from Fuchsia…"

"That's my stop!" said Kirby.

"Right," Tayuyu continued. "Sabrina from Saffron, Blaine from Cinnabar and then you'll probably be ready to take on Giovanni."

Tony grinned. "So it's settled!" he announced. "That's the route we're going to take!"

"Sounds good to me," Tayuyu agreed.

Kirby nodded. "Right," he said. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get Tony's stuff and get a move on!"

"Oh, wait!" Oak said. "You can't go yet! I have something from your Uncle for you…" Oak began to dig through a pile of papers on his desk. "Dang it! Why can I never keep track of anything?"

"You put it in your pocket, Gramps," said Blue, changing his microscope slide.

Oak blinked. "Oh, right!" he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a bright red sphere.

A shiny red Pokeball, with a small piece of paper attached to it was in Oak's hand.

He tossed it to Tony, saying, "It's from your Uncle!"

Tony grabbed the ball eagerly and read the piece of paper. "Dear Tony," it said, "I caught this rascal in our supply of Pokemon food and thought you'd like to have him. Keep him out of trouble! Love, Uncle Brad."

"Awesome!" said Tony, as he spun the Pokeball on his index finger. "I wonder what's inside…" he muttered as he tapped the opening mechanism.

Oak's eyes widened. "No wait, don't!"

It was too late. The Pokeball shot open and the occupant emerged. Oak closed his eyes and waited for his building to be torn apart.

"Spinarak?" a small voice chirped.

Oak opened his eyes to see a small green spider on the floor, staring up a Tony with dark eyes.

"Whoa…" Tony said. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, holding up his Pokedex.

There was a flash and the robotic voice said, **"Spinarak, the String Spit Pokemon. A Bug/Poison Type, Spinarak is not native to the Kanto Region. This Pokemon catches prey in a thin, but strong webbing it can shoot from its abdomen and mouth. The horn on its head is poisonous. It is primarily nocturnal. The subject is male, and seems to be roughly a year old."**

"Rak?" Spinarak asked, looking at boy.

"Awesome!" Tony said, thrilled. "Lucky, check this little guy out!" He held out his hand. "Heya, little guy," he said.

The Spinarak stared at the boy's hand, unsure of what to do.

Lucky felt a pang of jealously strike her. "Bree? Bree!" (What the…? Hey, wait!)

"Wow," said Kirby. "A Pokemon all the way from Johto!"

Tayuyu was impressed. "Your Uncle is in Johto?"

"Yeah, he's studying the Ruins of Alph," replied Tony, as the Spinarak crawled onto his arm. "Heh, it tickles!"

"Rak…" the Spinarak said, still feeling unsure of where he was.

Oak let out a breath of relief. "Please, don't do that! You never know what could be inside!"

"Oh, come on, Gramps," said Blue. "You aren't afraid of a Pokemon, are you?"

"Oh, yes, Blue, act all innocent," Oak said, frowning. "I don't suppose you remember when…"

* * *

><p>FLASHBACK<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey, Gramps!" said twelve year old Blue, as he happily ran into the lab. "My Magikarp evolved! Wanna see?"<em>

"_Sure, Blue, that'd be… Wait, don't!"_

_SMASH!_

"_Dos!"_

"_BLUE! MY LAB!"_

* * *

><p>End of Flashback.<p>

* * *

><p>Blue turned red. "I… don't know what you're talking about!"<p>

Tayuyu chuckled. "Good one, Blue!"

"Oh, I wouldn't be chuckling if I were you, young lady," Oak said. "I seem to recall you deciding to show me your Charmander after she grew into a Charizard."

It was Tayuyu's turn to blush. "H-hey! You said we'd never talk about that again!"

Kirby and Tony began to snicker as Tayuyu glared at them.

"Spinarak?" asked the Spinarak, who was staring at Lucky.

"Bree!" said Lucky, haughtily. She turned away from the Spider Pokemon with a huff.

The Spinarak went silent.

"So," said Tony. "We have our bags packed, a brand spankin' new Pokemon, and all of us are together! Looks like we're ready to go!"

"Not yet, we aren't," said Tayuyu. "I know I said I'd take you, I want to test you."

"Test me?" asked Tony, blinking.

"Yeah," Tayuyu said. "I don't want to travel with a kid who has no experience I want to battle you; two on two. Sound fair?"

Tony nodded with a grin. "Alright," he said. "I'll take you on!"

* * *

><p>Tony and Tayuyu headed outside to the front of the lab (at Oak's insistence) and squared off, Pokeballs at hand. Oak stood to referee, and Kirby decided to watch. "The battle between Tayuyu and Tony will now begin! Choose your first Pokemon!"<p>

"Alright!" Tony said, eagerly. "We're up! Let's go, Spinarak!"

The Spinarak stared at Tony strangely.

Tony pointed over to the battlefield. "Go on, go! Please?"

Lucky fumed. "Bree! Butterfree!" (Hey! No fair! I'm the most experienced one!)

The Spinarak made a six legged shrug and crawled to the field.

"Uh, you sure that's a good idea, Tony?" asked Kirby. "Spinarak is new, and young. Tayuyu already has six badges."

Tony nodded. "Don't worry," he said. "Spinarak will get some experience out of this one!"

"Well," Tayuyu said. "If you've made your choice, here is mine! Go, Mach!" she shouted, raising her Pokeball.

A large Machamp appeared, folding his arms as he glared down at the Spinarak. "Cham!" he said, gesturing for the Bug Type to come and get some.

"Spina, rak spin?" Spinarak said. (Uh, can we talk about this?)

"Champ! Cham, mach!" (Actions speak louder than words, shorty!)

"Your move, Tony!" said Tayuyu.

"Aright," grinned Tony, "let's see if I can make you regret that choice!" He pulled out his Pokedex and read through the Spinarak's data. "Use String Shot!" he ordered.

Spinarak didn't need to be told twice. He shot out sticky threads at Machamp, slowing the four armed muscle machine down.

"Machamp!" (Is that all you got!)

"Alright, Mach," said Tayuyu. "Let's do this! Use Focus Blast!"

Mach grinned as he placed his hands together, forming a sphere of energy. Roaring, he tossed it at the Spinarak. The spider's eyes widened as he scuttled around, dodging the spheres that shot at him with deadly accuracy.

One of the spheres sailed overhead and smashed the door to Oak's lab open. Oak's eyes widened and he pulled his hair. "Darn it!"

"Sorry Professor!" said Tayuyu, turning as red as her hair.

"Don't let him toss you around, Spinarak!" shouted Tony, keeping his mind on the battle. "Use Poison Sting!"

Spinarak scuttled towards and leaped at the Machamp. He stabbed him in the knee with the attack, but the Fighting Type barely even flinched.

"Use Strength!" said Tayuyu, turning away from Oak's smashed door.

Mach grinned and flicked the spider off his knee, sending him flying. The Spinarak sailed through the air and – SMACK – hit the walls of Oak's lab. The bug fell to the ground, his eyes dizzy and disoriented.

"Spinarak is unable to battle!" announced Oak. "The winner is Tayuyu!"

"Great going, Mach!" shouted Tayuyu.

"Machamp!" Mach replied, happily.

"Good job, Spinarak," said Tony, as he returned the Pokemon to his ball. "You deserve a rest! Alright, Lucky, you're up!"

"Bree! Butterfree?" (Oh, so now you want me?) Lucky was angry, but obeyed nonetheless, flying over to Machamp.

"Alright!" Tony said. "Use Confusion on him!"

"Bree!" Lucky said, as she pounded the Machamp with powerful energy.

Mach hit the ground with a groan. "Mach!" said Tayuyu. "Come on, get up!"

"Machamp…" muttered Mach, feeling dazed.

"Use Strength!" shouted Tayuyu.

Mach grunted and raised his fist, preparing to swat at Lucky…

… And then proceeded to smack himself in the face.

"Oh, no!" Tayuyu said. "He's confused!"

Tony nodded as Mach began to swat and punch at empty air, angrily. "Lucky!" he said. "Let's wrap this up! Use Ariel Ace!"

"Butter…" Lucky said, charging at the Machamp, her wings glowing. "FREE!" she declared as she smashed into the Machamp. And a la David and Goliath, he went down with a crunch.

"Alright!" Tony said, grinning. "Good job, Lucky!"

"Bree!" said Lucky, proudly. "Free bree butter bree!" (Let's see you do that, Spider-Boy!)

"Mach is unable to battle!" said Oak with a grin. "The winner is Lucky!"

"Good job, Mach!" said Tayuyu, returning him to his Pokeball. "Don't get cocky!" she told Tony. "Time for you to see my next Pokemon! Go, Blaze!"

A proud looking Charizard appeared, roaring as she faced down Lucky. "Char!"

"Bree…" Lucky muttered, sweatdropping.

"Don't worry, Lucky!" said Tony. "We're not giving up yet! Use Confusion!"

"Bree!" Lucky launched another powerful Confusion attack.

"Use Fly!" said Tayuyu.

"Char!" Blaze shot into the air, the attack missing her completely.

"After her, Lucky!" said Tony.

"Free!" Lucky said, shooting after the Charizard.

"Use Tackle!" shouted Tony.

Lucky shot towards Blaze, striking her in the stomach. The butterfly bounced off with a squeak.

"Use Fire Blast!" shouted Tayuyu.

"Charizard!" roared Blaze as she unleashed the fiery star at the Butterfree. Lucky cried out in pain as the attack knocked her back, seriously hurting her.

"Lucky!" said Tony, as the Butterfree landed on the ground.

"Bree…" moaned Lucky, struggling to get out of Tony's arms.

Tony sighed. "Alright," he said. "That's enough. We fold."

"Tony is out of useable Pokemon!" said Oak. "The winner is Tayuyu and Blaze!"

"Char! Char!" said Blaze. (Yeah, yeah!)

"Great job!" said Tayuyu, as she returned the Charizard to her Pokeball. She ran over to Tony. The boy was cradling the Butterfree in his arms, with Kirby at his side. "Is she…?"

Tony smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "She just needs some rest. She's been through worse before!"

"Free bree…" (I disagree…)

Tayuyu breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad to hear. You did really well, Tony."

Kirby nodded. "She's right!" he said. "You did really well. Guess you aren't such a rookie after all…"

"Hey!" Tony shouted. "We're not rookies!"

"Bree!"

Oak sighed as the two other young folks began laughing and running off, as Tony and Lucky chased after them. He turned back to his lab and looked at his smashed door.

Blue walked outside, looking at the door. "Hey, Gramps?" he asked. "What happened? I just looked up from my work and the door was gone!"

Oak sighed. Facepalm.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, another chapter. Sorry this took so long, folks, I was working on Titans Neo (P.S. I'll try to update that soon, too!) and also I've been working heavily on Birds of a Feather. <strong>

**So, Tony has a new Pokemon! Hurrah! I just can't do a Pokemon fic without my favorite Pokemon of all time Spinarak. :D**

**Well, Tayuyu and Tony had a battle and Tony lost. I flipped a coin to see who would win, and I'll be doing that whenever we have a OC vs OC battle, so no accusing me of favoritism!**

**Oh, before I go, I have a question for you all: What should I name Tony's Spinarak? You decide! Give me your suggestions, and I'll choose the one I like best! :D**

**Until next time, readers!**


	7. A celebrity and a evil plot!

**Last time on Tony's Journey!**

**Tony got a Spinarak, battled Tayuyu and lost... That was pretty much it.**

**Sheesh.**

**Oh, and Oak's lab got its doors blown up! That happened too!**

**Moving on, here's the next chapter! I leave now to watch AT4W!**

**Also, today's special thanks goes to MasterFreezeMan, for his or her OC! Thanks a lot!**

* * *

><p>After a half hour phone conversation with Uncle Brad (most of which was listening to him rant about how unsafe going after the Rockets was), resting up his Pokemon and grabbing his bags, Tony was finally ready to leave home. ALl he had left was one last challenge.<p>

The dreaded Aunt hug of doom!

Tony felt his face turn red as they hit the thirty second mark. Sally was begining to get teary eyed. "I'm just gonna miss you so much!" she practically sobbed.

"Uh... me too..." Tony replied, feeling a bit sheepish.

"I can't believe you're leaving! It seems just yesterday you were just a little boy! Oh, time goes by so fast!" Sally cried.

Tony coughed awkwardy. Sure, he would be missing his Aunt, but a thirty second hug was a little long. "Uh, Auntie..." he muttered, once another fifteen seconds had passed. "I'm having trouble breathing..."

"Oh!" Aunt Sally said. "Sorry! Well..." She smiled sadly. "All boys leave home someday."

Tony blinked. "Wasn't that something from that movie we watched the other day about the boys who became hobos..."

"Oh, right!" Sally said. "Well, never mind that. Go join your friends, and go write your book. Just be sure to call me every night, got it?"

Tony gave Aunt Sally another strong hug. "I will. I promise!"

"Good bye, Tony."

"Good bye, Auntie."

Tony turned to Professor Oak. "Thanks, Professor," he said, shaking the older man's hand. "I'll get as many Pokemon recorded as I can!"

Oak smiled. "I trust you will, Tony!" he said. "Before you head off, here." He handed Tony a card. "Give this to the man in the bicycle shop in Cerulean City, and he can hook you up with a bike. Ask for Rob, he owes me a favor."

Tony nodded as he pocketed the coupon. "Thanks!" he said. "That'll make things a lot easier!" He hugged the Professor. "Thanks again for the chance," he said, sincerely.

"You're welcome!" said Oak.

"Ahem!"

Pappy folded his arms. "What, no heartfelt goodbye for yer own grandpa?"

Tony chuckled as he hugged his grampa. "Ah, come on, Gramps! I wouldn't forget about you."

"'Course not, I'm the coolest one in the family!" laughed Pappy. "Now remember to be smart and stay out of trouble! I remember on my journey when I was young. I met yer Grandma on my journey! 'Course, I hated her and her darn Jigglypuff when we first met... Lousey thing thought it was so cute when it put my Squirtle to sleep..."

"Uh, Pappy... Getting of track here..."

"Right, right..." Pappy said. "Well, here's to yer trip!" he proclaimed, rubbing the boy on the head. "Now get outta here!"

Tony put on his straw sunhat and saluted. "Yessir!" he said, opening the door. "Goodbye! I'll miss you!" he said as he ran out of the door

"Goodbye!" shouted Aunt Sally and Pappy, waving as the boy ran over to his two friends. "Have a nice trip!"

Tony ran over to his friends. The sun was begining to set, and he was all packed with a shoulder bag on his arm and backpack slung on his back, ready for anything. Kirby, Lucky and Tayuyu were waiting. Tayuyu was wearing her usual outfit, a black shirt with dark grey pants. Kirby wore his usual attire of a sleaveless shirt and jeans, and no shoes as per usual. Lucky wasn't wearing any clothes, but she had a bright green coller with Tony's number and address around her neck, just in case she got seperated from the others.

"Ready to go?" asked Tony.

"Yep," said the two other kids. Lucky nodded eagerly, flitting about.

"Right." Tony turned around and stared at his house. He saw his Auntie watching him from the window. He saw Pappy watching him proudly. He saw Cap'n... swimming around in his bowl randomly.

Tony felt his eyes get wet.

"Hey," Tayuyu said. "You crying?"

"No!" Tony said. "I just... Ah, heck, I am crying..."

Kirby rolled his eyes. "Come on," he said. "Let's get going!"

Tony wiped his eyes. "Right!" he said. "Let's go!"

"'Bout time!" said Tayuyu.

"Let's go it!" shouted Kirby.

"Bree!" Lucky agreed.

"YEAH!" the group shouted, before running down the path.

Their journey was cut short almost immediently.

"Anyone else have to use the bathroom?"

The group turned around and ran back to Tony's house.

* * *

><p>After a bathroom break, another Aunt hug of death, and a light snack (Tayuyu was feeling a bit peckish) the trio set off again, heading down Route 1 once more, ready for whatever lay ahead of them. Tony kept his Pokedex at the ready, just in case a Pokemon he hadn't seen before showed up. The more the merrier, after all.<p>

Lucky flew right beside her trainer and friend, feeling very proud as they walked along the path. Nothing could spoil her mood...

Until...

"Hey, Alph, come on out!"

Tony's Spinarak was released from his Pokeball. The spider looked up at Tony, confused. "Heya," said Tony. "We're off a big journey now! You and I are gonna have to start training!"

"Spina?" (What?)

"Bree?" said Lucky, offended. "Bree Bree free butter ree!" (What! I'm not good enough for you?) "We're gonna train hard, aren't we?" asked Tony, petting the spider on the back. "Stick with me, and we'll head straight for the top!" he said, raising his fist at the spider.

Alph stared at the boy's knuckles before curiously tapping them with his foreleg.

"Great, you got it!" said Tony, grinning. "Let's get going, Alph!"

"Alph?" asked Tayuyu. "You named him Alph?"

"Yeah!" Tony said. "Why not? Alph is the perfect name for him! Uncle Brad found in the Ruins of Alph, so Alph's his name!"

"I guess that makes sense..." Kirby said.

"Come on then!" shouted Tony. "Let's get a move on! I want to be in Pewter by tomorrow!"

Kirby hung back by Tayuyu as Tony took point, Lucky and Alph following him. "Nice guy, isn't he?" Kirby asked.

Tayuyu nodded. "Really nice. Really upbeat, too. Kinda of obnoxious, really."

"Yeah," Kirby said, making sure to keep out of Tony's earshot. "But not a bad guy. He was willing to put himself at risk to help all those people."

Tayuyu nodded. "Well, here's hoping he won't give up the moment things get hard!"

"Hey!" Tony shouted. "There's Viridian!"

Sure enough, Viridian City was only a few feet away. The little City of Evergreen sat in the sunset, giving it a radiant glow.

"Come on!" Tony shouted. "Let's head to the Pokemon Center and get a room!"

"Alright, alright!" shouted Tayuyu. "Don't be so impatient!"

"Yeah!" Kirby said as they ran after Tony. "It's not like the close the center at night!"

The trio of kids ran into Viridian. The city's streets were a little less crowded, as night was on its way. The few people who were in the streets were heading home from work, or taking their family out to eat. The warm summer air was gifted with a gentle breeze, making this the perfect setting for any journey (or a greeting card.)

The party ran down the streets to the Pokemon Center. Thankfully, the line had died down after yesterday's crisis, and the center was back to normal. The automatic doors opened as Tony, Kirby and Tayuyu walked inside.

"Oh!" Nurse Joy said, from behind the counter. The Nurse had a small bruise on her face from yesterday, but other than that she was fine. "Tony Miller! You'e the one who saved the center yesterday!"

"That's me," Tony said. "How's your face?"

"Just fine, thanks to you!" Joy said happily. "I don't know how I could ever thank you!"

"Well, a room for three would be nice," said Tony. "I'm working for Professor Oak now, so I need to travel all over and record new Pokemon for him! Oh, and these guys are helping."

"Hi again!" both Kirby and Tayuyu greeted.

"Oh, hi Tayuyu," Joy said. "You'e going with him?"

"Yeah," Tayuyu said. "The Professor said he needed to be looked after, so I volunteered."

"Well, the Professor made a good choice," Joy said. "You're quite the accomplished trainer, yourself!" She reached under her desk and pulled out a key card. "Here you go! Room B17, down the stairs!"

"Gotcha!" said Tony. "Thanks a lot!"

"Not a problem!" said Nurse Joy, smiling... well, joyfully. "Normally, we only give rooms to people who have Pokemon in the center, but since you saved all those Pokemon yesterday we'll be glad to give you a room!"

"Thanks!" said the trio of kids.

Before anything else could be said, they heard a very, very shrill female voice scream., "There he is!"

"It's HIM!" another voice said.

"AHHH! It's JOSH BELMONT!"

A very shrill squee filled the air, and another voice, a male voice screamed. Within seconds, a young, well built man with short blonde hair ran inside, carrying large guitar case, with a frantic look on his face. He struggled to keep the automatic doors from opening. A large crowd of perhaps a dozen girls, from ages ten to eighteen, swarmed the door, trying to get in. You could practically see the hearts in their eyes. "Help!" he shouted. "Lock the doors!"

Nurse Joy stared blankly. "Why would we have locks? The Pokemon Center is open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week! We don't have any locks."

The boy looked around frantically. "HELP!" he shouted, as the girls started to pry open the door.

Kirby and Tony looked at each other, shrugging. "Okay..."

They ran over to the door and helped the boy hold it shut. Lucky flew up too, struggling to hold it with her trainer.

"Who're they?" asked one of the girls.

"Maybe they're security?" one said.

"Maybe they're his new back up dancers!"

"Don't be stupid! Rock and roll doesn't have back up dancers!"

"Maybe they're joining him!"

"Yeah, that kid does look like a drummer!"

"And the one with no shoes looks like a rebel bass player! Mrow!"

"What? Hey!" Tony shouted. "We don't even know this guy!"

"And I don't play bass!" shouted Kirby.

"They're kinda cute too!" another girl squealed, oblivious to both boys yelling at them.

"Let's get in!"

"Ah, man!" said Kirby. "Hey, tell them we're... Hey, where'd he go?"

The other boy had vanished. "Where is he?" shrieked the collective of fangirls.

"Oh my gosh!" squealed Tayuyu. "He's going out the back door! Let's get him!"

The fangirls didn't need any further prodding. They quickly whirled around and ran to the back door.

The boy slowly poked his head out from behind Nurse Joy's counter. "Are they gone...?"

"Yeah," Tayuyu said. "They are."

The boy gave a breath of relief. "Thanks," he said. "They nearly got me that time!"

"Hey!" said Joy. "I know you! You're Josh Belmont, the singer!"

The boy sighed. "Yeah, that's me."

Nurse Joy pulled out a piece of paper. "Do you think I could have a..."

Josh pulled a pen out of his pocket and hastily wrote his name on the paper without even looking.

"Thank you so much!" Joy said. "My sister and I are such big fans!"

"I figured," said Josh.

"Is he famous or something?" asked Tony to Kirby.

Kirby nodded. "Oh, yeah! That's Josh Belmont, solo guitarist and self made rockstar. He won the battle of the bands a few years back. Heck, I'm surprised that you haven't heard him!"

"Country boy, remember?" Tony said.

Josh Belmont sighed as he leaned against the wall. "Any chance I can get a room?" he asked Nurse Joy. "Preferably one without screaming fans."

"Oh, don't worry!" Nurse Joy said. "I'll hook you up, no problems or fans... other than me~!"

Josh sighed. "I can live with that," he said. He turned and saw Tony. "Hey!" he said. "Butterfree boy! I know you, don't I?"

Tony shook his head. "No, I don't think so..."

"Aha, I remember!" said Josh. "I do know you! You're that kid who saved this Pokemon Center! I saw your picture in the news this morning!"

"I helped," Kirby pointed out.

"Yeah, that's me," Tony said. "I'm Tony, this is Kirby, Tayuyu, Lucky and Alph."

"Hey."

"Hiya."

"Bree!"

"..."

"Pleasure to meet you," Josh said, friendily. "So, uh, you wouldn't happen to be fans, right?"

"Never heard of you," Tony said.

"You're okay, I guess..." Kirby said.

"Your music is average, at best," said Tayuyu, a bit rudely.

Josh gave a breath of relief. "Oh, thank goodness," he said, completely thrilled with the insult. "I thought I would get swarmed again." He yawned. "I'm bushed."

"Hey, what's a big celebrity like you doing in Viridian City?" asked Tayuyu, folding her arms.

"I played a concert here the other day," said Josh. "I was hoping to be gone by now, but I had to sign autographs and those girls have been chasing me all day, and I do mean _all day_!" He sighed. "I just want to go to sleep. Me and my Pokemon are exhausted!"

Nurse Joy handed him a room key. "Here you go!" she said cheerily. "I hope you enjoy your stay!"

Josh yawned as he handed Joy his Pokeballs. "I will..." he said, sleepily. He walked down the hall, his guitar case in his hands.

"Wow," Tony said. "First day of travel, and I've already met someone who's famous!"

Tayuyu rolled her eyes. "Just a guitarist," she said. "He's not all that big. He's actually not that famous."

"Well, he seems to be gaining fans," said Kirby, surprised. That was a huge mob!

Tony yawned. "Well, I'm exhausted!" he said. "I'm gonna call my auntie and tell her where we are, and then we can head to bed!"

Tayuyu nodded. "Sounds good! We've had a lot of excitement today."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, across town, there was a gym. And in that gym, was a man. Giovanni sighed as sat down in his chair, his eyes heavy. Three cups of coffee, and he was still dead tired. He had taken on dozens of trainers, and he had also had to authorize and orginize a raid on the Pokemon Center in Fuschia City. He was tired, and he wanted to go to bed, badly.<p>

Then, the phone rang.

"Son of a..." Giovanni muttered, as he picked up the phone. "Viridian City Gym, this is Leader Giovanni speaking."

"Heya, Giovanni!" said a voice on the end. "It's me, Surge!"

"Oh, hello Surge," Giovanni said, forcing a smile onto his face. "How are you?" Lt. Surge was the Gym Leader of Vermillion City. The former Military Officer was now an electric type trainer.

"I'm fine, as usual," said Surge. "Actually, I wanted to ask you somethin'. See, Vermillion's been really... not shocking, lately, y'know? So, I found out there's this big boat comin' to the town, the St. Anne. So, I figured we'd have a tournament on the boat! One gigantic free for all! The Captain said we could, so I figured that we could use some celebrity endorsement, so I figured I'd give you a call! Whaddya say?"

Giovanni pondered it. This was too good. An entire boatload of trainers with Pokemon. Sabotaging and taking Pokemon would be beyound simple, with careful planning...

He smiled. "What an excellent idea," he said. "I'll be glad to."

"See?" said Surge. "This is why I like you best! I mean, all the other leaders are kinda boring. Sabrina's too dry, Erika has insomnia, and Koga is way to serious! You're the best, Gio! I'll see you in a week, okay?"

Giovanni nodded. "Very good. See you then."

"Adios!" Surge said, hanging up.

Giovanni didn't hang up. He immidietly dialed another number. After a few seconds of waiting, a voice replied. "Hello?"

"Ms. Reeds," greeted Giovanni.

"Oh, boss!" Kayla said. "Gimme a second, I'll be right with you. Now hold still, ma'am..."

"NO!" a female voice shouted on the other line. "Please, no, not that!"

"If you hold still, it'll be over before you know it! Now shut up and let me stab you!"

"Ms. Reeds," Giovanni said. "Let her go."

"Wha-? But... FINE! Get outta here, lady! Maybe now you'll think twice before insulting my sense of style!" Kayla said. The woman screamed as she ran away from wherevery they were.

"Never mind that," Giovanni said. "I have a job for you..."

Kayla chuckled. "I'm all ears."

* * *

><p><strong>Wow that was a pain to write. My fingers hurt now...<strong>

**Okay then, we have a new OC, Josh! A sort of rockstar who is chased by fangirls. I was tempted to make a joke about slash fangirls there, but I resisted. Anyway, thanks for any reviews or OCs!**

**Also, I have to say something! OC SUBMISSION IS ALMOST OVER! So, if you have to submit another OC, do it now! It ends next chapter!**

**NOW REVIEW.**


	8. On our way to Pewter City

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony left his home, and arrived at Viridian City, with his two friends, Kirby and Tayuyu. While there, he met a young rockstar named Josh Belmont, who was running from an army of fangirls! Now, Tony and his friends sleep in the Pokemon Center? Meanwhile Giovanni plans for a dastardly robbery on the luxery ship the St. Anne! What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Sally Miller sniffled as she looked out the window for the umpteenth time. It was evening. She and Pappy were eating a nice dinner, with Pappy feeding his Magikarp bits and pieces of his bread. Tony had been gone for four hours now. Four hours.<p>

It felt like an eternity.

She sighed as she sipped another spoonful of soup. Tony was gone. No more watching him and Lucky play, no more watching those cheesy movies from the sixties with him, no more family outings for ice cream, no more picnic lunchs, and no more stomping him in Dungeons and Dragonites.

Well, not forever. He would be home one day. But still it felt lonely and quiet without him, even with Pappy. At least her husband would be home in a few weeks, and at least Tony had a job, and was on his way to fulfilling his dreams.

Still, it felt lonely. She remembered her days when she travelled away from home - not as a trainer, but a coodinator - with her now deceased Vulpix, Scarlett. She hadn't had any friends or family to go with. The only family she had was her sister, who was far to busy at her business school to bother with training. Both girls had never known about their parents and grown up in foster care all their lives. To be honest, Sally was a bit of a rebel growing up, always refusing help, giving people attitude, and even threatening other children who wouldn't leave her alone. Sure, she was rude, but anyone with such a rough upbringing could easily be. She had softened up once she had met Brad, and the young man had saved her from a group of wild Tentacool she had infuriated by throwing her garbage into their territory. She still had scars from that, and so did Brad, who had dived in and almost died saving her.

But now, Brad was gone, and Tony was gone. Both were out living their dreams.

And she didn't even know what her dream was.

Hmm.

"Yeh look worried."

Pappy's voice pulled Sally out of her thoughts. "Sorry," she told the old man. "Just thinking."

"About Tony," Pappy said. "Don't worry 'bout him! He'll be fine! He's a smart kid, after all. Plus, he has Lucky with him, and that new Spinarak, along with all of his friends, and he's calling every night. He called earlier, didn't he?"

"Yes," Sally said. "He did. He said he's fine, and he's at the Pokemon Center."

"See?" said Pappy. "No need to be so scared for the kid! He'll be fine."

Sally nodded. "I guess I know... but I still miss him a lot. He's family, after all. Things seem... very quiet, with him gone."

Pappy chuckled. "On the bright side, we can finally watch a movie without him riffing it."

"Oh, come on," Sally laughed. "Tony's riffing was hilarious!"

"Yeah," Pappy said. "But the kid is out in the world, and he's a young man now. We can't baby him forever."

Sally sighed. "You're right," she said. "But it's hard letting go, you know?"

"I know," Pappy said, picking his plate up and taking it to the sink. "He'll be back, one day," he said, as he placed his empty plate in the sink. "He has to. I mean, you and brad raised the kid after his no good, rotten, disgusting-!"

Sally coughed. "Ahem."

Pappy paused. "Eh, sorry," he said. "After... she-who-shall-not-be-named left him. I mean..." He paused as he stared out of the window. "Speak of the devil..."

"What?" asked Sally. "What is it?"

"Look," Pappy said, pointing outside. A car was pulling into the driveway, a very familiar woman driving it.

Anna.

Sally stood up. "Where ya going?" asked Pappy.

"To lock the doors," said Sally. Sister or not, there was no easy way to forgive what Anna had done.

Pappy nodded as Sally locked the doors, both back and front. She went to the stove and began to boil her tea water.

The doorbell rang, one, twice, and finally three times. There were seveal hard knocks on the door, but Sally and Pappy ignored them.

Finally, they heard the sound of the door being unlocked. Anna Maruko marched into the kitchen, looking as angry as she always did. "Sally," she greeted.

"Anna," Sally replied. "I see you kept the house key we gave you."

"I did."

"Oh."

"Hmm."

Sally finally came out and said it. "Why are you here?" she hissed. "Here to ruin more lives?"

"I'm here to see my son!" snapped Anna. "Where is Tony? I want to talk to him."

"Why?" retorted Sally. "You haven't cared about him for eight years. Why start now?"

"Because I want to talk to him!" Anna repeated. "Private matters that I don't need to share with you!"

"So, you think you can just waltz in here and take your son - the son who you abandoned - and just expect him to want to talk to you!" Sally said. Before Anna could answer, Sally stood up, jamming her face into hers. "Do you want to know something? Tony doesn't need you anymore! He's eight years, had eight birthdays, and has become succesful all without you!"

"I'd watch my tongue, if I were you," retorted Anna. "I donate massive amounts of money to the police force, and the local Officer Jenny is a very close friend of mine. I'd hate for you to go to jail for trying to keep a mother from her son..." She let her words hang off threateningly.

"Pah!" Pappy said. "Any mother who leaves her kid for a job is no good mother! In my day, women who left their children to pursue their own selfish were frowned and spat upon!"

"Yes, while you were riding the Aerodactyl with the other cavemen, we know, old man!" sneered Anna.

"I may be old, but that doesn't mean I can't tell an awful mother from a good one!" Pappy snapped. "Sally never could have kids, but she's still twice the ma you'll ever be!"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Whatever!" she snapped. "Now where is Tony?"

"He's not here," said Sally.

"Then where is he?" snapped Anna.

"He got a job!" Sally replied. "Now leave my house now!"

"What kind of job!" Anna said, holding her ground.

"He's working as Professor Oak's aide," said Sally. "He's traveling across Kanto to record Pokemon and study them for him. It's a very important job so stay out of it!"

Anna growled. "Well," she said. "I invite my only son to my own wedding and he refuses. So, I come to see him and find this!" She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a newspaper, slapping it down onto the table. Tony's picture was on the cover, with the headline of him going up against Team Rocket. "You let my own son go up against a criminal group like that?" the blonde woman snapped angrily.

"He went up against them without my knowing!" said Sally.

"You got remarried?" said Pappy. "Who would marry you?"

Anna shot a glare at Pappy. "None of your business." She turned back to Sally. "I wanted my son to meet his new family, he's running around in the wild, and you're fine and dandy with it!"

"If you wanted your son, then you would have stayed and watched him and loved him!" snapped Sally, banging her fists on the table angrily. "You may have given birth to him but you are not his mother! Now leave this house! NOW!"

Anna, though taken back at the outburst, frowned. "Very well," she hissed. "But if I hear about Tony fooling with dangerous criminals like the Rockets again, I will call the police, and have him brought home and you arrested!"

"Leave. My. House. Now," ordered Sally again.

With an infuriated sneer, Anna left, slamming the door behind her. Her car's engine started up, and it drove off, down Route 1, just like it did all those years ago.

"She's married again," said Pappy, unable to believe it. "I have no idea how she got married the first time 'round!"

Sally sighed, and leaned back in her chair. "Tony..." she said, worried again. "Please stay out of trouble."

* * *

><p>The sun slowly climbed over the trees, casting its bright light over Viridian City. The Pidgey began to chirp, and Ratatta crawled from their burrows and into the tall grass, and people got up, ate breakfast, and went to school, work, or something like that. It was a typical peaceful morning.<p>

Until...

"YAAAAAAAH!"

Tony's eyes shot open. He tried to get up off his comfy bed, only t find himself tied down by sticky webbing.

"Tony!" Tayuyu screamed shrilly. "Get me out of here!"

Tony strugged against his own webbing. "I'm... trying!" he said. "What happened?" he asked, before freezing. "Alph...!" he growled.

The Spinarak was sitting in the center of a large orb web in the middle of the room, sitting quietly in the center and acting like nothing had happened. A multitude of Lucky's Pokemon food cans were open and sitting in the web, with a few crumbs on the threads. Lucky was in the corner of the web, struggling against the webbing with angry "Brees!" and "Frees!"

"Hey..." Kirby said, waking up in the bunk above Tony's. "What happened? What is all this... HEY!" he said, noticing Alph. "Alph, what did you do?"

"Bad Alph!" said Tony, getting his hand free. "Bad Spinarak!"

Alph simply sat there, not paying any attention or at least pretending to.

Tayuyu finally got an arm free. And then another. She angrily tore herself out of the web. "I'm gonna kill that spider!" she snapped, as she tore her legs free.

Lucky was already getting to that. The Butterfree broke free and shot for the Spinarak, bashing him on the head and knocking him to the floor.

Tony managed to pull himself out of the webbing, followed by Kirby. He ran to his backpack, nearly tripping over even more of the silk. He pulled out Alph's Pokeball. "Return!" he ordered a bit harshly.

Alph was all too happy to return to the Pokeball, with Lucky whaling on him like that. Tony groaned as he placed the Pokeball back in his backpack. "Sorry guys..." he said.

"You should be!" said Tayuyu. "Waking up and being tied up and almost gagged isn't my favored way to start the day!"

"Next time, just keep Alph in his Pokenball," said Kirby.

Tony nodded. "Definantly. Sorry, Lucky," he said to his Butterfree.

"Bree!" Butterfree said sweetly, rubbing against her trainer's chest.

There was a loud knock on the door. Tony opened it, and found a very sleepy looking Nurse Joy in her bright pink pajamas. The nurse's hair was messy and she had that "I really need some coffee" look on her face. "I heard screaming," she explained sleepily. "What... Hey! What happened in there?"

Tony rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, Spinarak was spinning webs all over the place. I mean, it's kinda my fault; I knew Spinarak was nocturnal, and I knew that he trapped prey with webs, so I guess his instinct just kicked in. We'll clean it up!" he promised.

"What do you mean 'we'?" asked Kirby, folding his arms.

Nurse Joy shook her head. "No, no!" she said. "Our janatorial staff cleans any Pokemon releated messes. Of course, if you were to throw a wild party, I'd have to strangle you." The grin the Nurse gave them was none to reassuring.

"Yes, ma'am!" the children said, nervously.

Nurse Joy laughed. "Oh, I'm just kidding! I'd lose my license to practice if I killed guests! Now, you should get dressed and come down for your free complimentary breakfast!"

"Awesome!" said Tony, as Nurse Joy shut the door. "Free breakfast, too? Man, these center have everything."

"Everything for trainers, that is," said Tayuyu.

"Well, I'm starved!" said Kirby. "I bet our Pokemon are too! Let's get dressed and get some food."

"All except for this little guy," said Tony, looking at Alph's Pokeball. "I think he's eaten enough."

* * *

><p>Within minutes, the trio of teens were dressed in their usual attire, and seated at the tables in the large dining room. Warm eggs and glasses of juice and milk were on the table, and the humans were eating their food on one table, and their Pokemon were on the other, eagerly eating their Pokemon food. The dining room was filled with other trainers, like Lasses, Fishermen, Bug Catchers and the like.<p>

"Man," said Tony. "Who knew eggs that my Auntie didn't make could be so good?"

"Guess ya learn a lot, after a day away from home," said Kirby, eating his own eggs.

"Not feeling homesick already, are you?" asked Tayuyu.

Tony shook his head. "Nah, I'm good! I could go on for weeks!"

"Hey, Tony!" a familar voice said.

Josh walked up, wearing a large beanie and a ridiculous pair of sunglasses. "How ya doing, man?" he asked. "Glad to see you're here already!"

Tony blinked. "Wha-?"

"Uh, Josh, we met, yesterday," said Tayuyu, raising an eyebrow.

"Shh!" ordered Josh, sitting down. "Ex-Nay on the Osh-Jay! I don't want anyone to know it's me!"

"What?" said Kirby. "But why?"

"Because if I do, I get swarmed by rabid fans and never get out of here!" Josh said, desperately. "Look, just keep quiet about who I am, okay? I just need to keep low... and follow you to Pewter City," he added, hurridly.

"WHAT?" said Tayuyu, standing up. "You can't just... invite yourself on a trip like that! What're you thinking?"

"Come on!" said Josh. "Look. I'm a traveling musician, even though I'm admittedly quite popular, so I don't have a limo or anything like that! Y'know, kinda like the Bards of old times. So, I travel mostly on foot, which means that if a group of fans happens to recognize me, I'm surrounded for hours signing autographs!" He got down on his knees and grabbed Tayuyu's hands. "Oh, please, please please let me come! Just until we get to Pewter, I promise!"

"Of course you can!" said Tony.

"Hey!" said Tayuyu. "Tony!"

"What?" asked Tony. "It isn't everyday you get a... you-know-what to travel with you!"

Kirby nodded. "Well, he does have a point... Plus, if he annoys us, we can just remove his disguise and send his an-fay irl-gays after him!"

"Come on!" said Josh. "I promise that I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

Tayuyu rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, relenting. "But no more sucking up!"

Josh stood and saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" he said.

"Good." Tayuyu looked around. "Almost everyone was staring at them. "Now sit down!" she hissed.

"Uh, right! Sorry."

Josh sat down and said nothing.

* * *

><p>Breakfast had eaten (very messily, might I add) and the now quartet of kids was ready to leave the Pokemon Center.<p>

"You took your sweet time," said Tayuyu to Josh. The guitarist had spent about ten minutes getting ready.

"Yeah," Kirby agreed. "I mean, she's a girl and she still got ready quicker than you did!"

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

Josh inched over to Tony, still wearing his ridiculous sunglasses and hat. "They do that often?"

Tony and Lucky both shrugged in unison. "Beats me," said Tony. "Ah, but don't worry! I'm pretty mellow!"

"Oh, I've noticed," Josh said, out of earshot. "Um, Tayuyu?" he said, who was still fuming at Kirby. "Shouldn't we be on our way?"

Tayuyu slowly nodded, still glaring. "Yeah, we should. Let's be off, huh?"

"Right!" the boys said with enthusiasm.

They turned to head for the door, until a familiar person caught Tayuyu's eyes. A well dressed man was at the counter of the Pokemon Center, taking his Pokeballs back from Nurse Joy.

"Mr. Giovanni!"

The man turned to see Tayuyu running over to greet him. "Ah, Ms. Tayuyu," he said with a smile. "So nice to see you again. Come back for another challenge?"

Tayuyu shook her head. "Actually, I'm leaving on a little training expedition. I'm taking a new trainer with me across Kanto!" She pointed over to Tony. "Oh, and those two other guys are tagging along," she added.

Giovanni's eyes widened. "Ah, I've seen you before!" he said.

"No you haven't!" said Josh, paling.

"Not you," Giovanni corrected. "Him!" he pointed at Tony. "You're the young man from the paper. The one who stood up to Team Rocket." He smiled. "That was... a very brave thing to do, young man." He shook Tony's hand. "I'm Giovanni, the local Gym Leader."

"Nice to meet you!" said Tony. "I'm Tony, Tony Miller!"

"Miller?" asked Giovanni. "Is that so? As in Brad Miller, the archeologist? I never knew he had a son..."

"Oh, no," said Tony. "I'm his nephew. Aunt Sally... well, she can't have kids. So, uh, they adopted me!" he explained, hastily.

"Ah, that does make sense," said Giovanni. "Well, then, I'm glad to see you are on your journey. I wish you the best of luck!"

"Hey, uh, with all due respect," said Kirby, "why are you in the Pokemon Center, sir?"

"Mr. Giovanni needs to keep his Pokemon fresh and ready to fight!" said Nurse Joy, handing the Pokeballs back to Giovanni. "Here you go, sir! Thank you for waiting!"

"No, thank you," said Giovanni. He turned back to the four children. "I must be off now. Take care during your adventure, alright?"

"We will, sir!" promised Tony. "Count on it!"

Giovanni smiled as the children left the Pokemon center, waving goodbye to both him and Nurse Joy. "Oh, I am, young man. I am."

* * *

><p>And so, Tony and Kirby found themselves in good old Viridian Forest for the second time that week, heading off to Pewter City, and the first of the Gyms that Tony would be facing.<p>

Josh happily shoved his hat and glasses back into his back pack. "Thank goodness," he said, happy to be out of sight. "No killer paparazzi, no fangirls who want me to marry them... Just me and the road! Oh, and, uh, you guys."

"Yeah," said Kirby. "Nothing but us and the wild blue yonder! The wind at our backs, the sun on our heads, the earth on our feet-!"

"And my foot up your butt if you don't cut that out!" joked Tayuyu.

Kirby stuck out his tongue.

"Hey, guys, check this out!"

The teens turned to Tony and Lucky, who were standing/flying at the exit to the forest. "Check it out!" Tony called. "I can see Pewter City!"

Sure enough, Pewter City, the stone grey town, was standing outside the forest. The city was surrounded by a field of sand, grass, and large rocks. The town stood proud and tall over the field. "Alright, we made it!" said Tony. "All it took us was a long hike!"

Josh grinned as he ran up. "Alright," he said. "Pewter City here I come!"

Before anyone could say anything else, Tony and Josh fell down. "WHAAAAAH!" they screamed as they tumbled down the steep path and down into the road of Pewter City. They hit the dirt road with a THUD.

"Oww..." muttered Tony. "Did you feel...?"

"Bree!" Lucky flew down to Tony and helped him up. "Bree, bree?" she questioned.

"I'm fine, Lucky, I'm fine!" Tony insisted. "Don't worry about me."

"Hey!" shouted Kirby. "You guys okay?"

"No, we're not!" said Josh. "Didn't you feel that?"

"Feel what?" asked Tayuyu.

"That!" said Josh. "That tremor just now!"

Tayuyu and Kirby shook their heads. "We didn't feel anything," Tayuyu said. "Maybe it was just your imagination?"

Josh shook his head. "No way!" he said. "Definantly felt a tremor, right Tony?"

Tony nodded. "I felt one too!"

Tayuyu shrugged. "Come on," she said. "We can go to Pewter and tell the police about it! Then you can go to your Gym fight."

Tony nodded. "Sounds good," he said, giving her a thumbs up. "Let's go!" He took off across the plain, Lucky following him.

"What a kid..." muttered Josh.

"You're one to talk," Tayuyu said, drily.

"HEY!"

Tony began running back to the kids, a panicked look on his face. Lucky flew next to him, looking equally frightened. "Run!" he said. "Come on, run!"

"Hey, what's going on?" Tayuyu asked. "Is this some kinda..."

"Look!" said Kirby.

A large, rock-like horn was gliding towards them, swimming through the earth like a Goldeen through water and leaving behind a trail of rubble. The ground shook, knocking the teens off their feet. "What is that?" Josh said.

To answer his question, the ground in front of them exploded, dirt, dust and sand flying through the air. A massive grey rock snake appeared. "An Onix!" said Josh, surprised.

The Onix glared down at the children beneath him and roared, infuriated. With a loud, deafening screech, he charged!

* * *

><p><strong>Yeesh, I just made it!<strong>

**Hey, folks, here's another chapter for you! And now, I must make the sad announcement that OC Submissions are now closed! Thanks for all the kicking OCs you gave me, everyone! I'll use them to the best of my ability!**

**Well, looks like Anna's back. And she's married again? Who would marry her? Also, Josh has joined to group and heads on his way to good old Pewter City, that place where I pwned all of Brock's Pokemon in one hit with my Bulbasaur Bud. Ah, memories. Well, Tony won't have such an easy time, I can tell you that!**

**Tune in next time for a new chapter, and a brand new OC! Seeya!**


	9. Onix attacks!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony and friends finally set off to Pewter City, with Josh Belmont, who wanted to escape from his army of fangirls long enough to arrive at the next town. However, on their merry way they were attacked by a massive Onix who erupted from the ground and is trying to kill them! What will happen next? Find out now!**

**Today's special thanks goes to ChicFlick97 for her OC! Thanks a ton!**

**And now, on with the story! This chapter has action, adventure, and Japanese food!**

* * *

><p>"Move it!" Josh shouted as the Onix's head shot down, narrowly missing the teens as it smashed the earth. The beast roared and reared back his head, glaring down at the teens.<p>

"Uh... L-Lucky?" asked Tony. "Think you could use your Confusion Attack?"

"Bree!" Lucky said, charging at the Onix. "Butterfree!" she shouted, releasing the waves of mental power. They battered the Onix, causing it to roar in pain and fury.

"Onix! Onix! ONIX!" (Destroy! Destroy! DESTROY!) The rock snake raised his stone tail and slammed it into Lucky.

"Teree!" shouted Lucky, as she hit the ground painfully.

"Lucky!" shouted Tony, grabbing her. "Are you okay?"

"Bree..." Lucky said, quietly.

"ONIX! ONIX! ONIX!" Onix roared as he charged at Tony. (DESTROY! DESTROY! DESTROY!)

Tony held Lucky tightly as he ran away from the Pokemon, as it barreled towards him, destroying the earth in his path.

Kirby pulled out a Pokeball. "We have to do something!"

Tayuyu pulled out one of her own. "No need to tell me twice!"

"Go, Mach!"

"Come on out, Taka!"

The muscular Machamp and the proud looking Pidgeotto emerged and stood ready, until they saw the massive, enraged Onix that is. The two Pokemon shifted frightened as the beast shot for them, roaring.

"Gey! Pidgey otto pidge?" (Hey! I have to fight that?)

"Ma... Machamp! Ma cham champ!" (Hu... Hah, no sweat! We can take him!)

The Onix roared and shot foward at the two Pokemon, his mouth wide open.

"Use Focus Blast, Mach!" shouted Tayuyu.

"Fly up, Taka!" said Kirby.

Both Pokemon obeyed. Taka flew up high into the sky, and Mach placed his mighty hands together, before releasing a powerful burst of the Focus Blast. The attack smashed into the Onix, who roared in pain and fury. He charged angrily as Mach, only to be stopped by Taka, who flew into his face. Sadly, the attack barely pierced Onix's rocky hide. The Rock Snake roared as massive rocks ripped out of the ground and shot at the two Pokemon.

"Rock Tomb!" cried Tony.

"Look out, Taka!" shouted Kirby. But it was too late. One of the boulders struck Taka and knocked her to the ground, knocking her out. The other boulders collided with Mach, who growled angrily as he was buried in a pile of rubble, to dazed to move.

Tayuyu returned Mach. "Dang it!" she shouted.

Kirby gritted his teeth as he returned Taka to her Pokeball, for safe keeping. "We need backup!" he said.

"That's my que!" said Josh, as he opened his backpack and pulled out a Pokeball. "Vaporeon, on stage!"

A beautiful little Vaporeon appeared in front of Josh. She gave a small yip and jumped into Josh's arms, licking his face. "Poreon!" she said, happily.

"Uh, girl?" he said. "Come on, we have other things to do..."

Vaporeon looked up at the Onix. "Vaporeon!" she growled, jumping out of Josh's arms and standing at the ready.

"'Atta girl!" said Josh. "Use Surf, right in his face!"

Vaporeon charged at Onix, leaping into the air whilst she spewed water from her mouth, spinning around until she resembled a tidal wave. With a roar of water, Vaporeon collided with Onix's face. The Rock-Type fell to the ground with a pained roar as water splashed all over him.

"Wow," said Tony, pulling out his Pokedex and scanning the Water-Type.

**"Vaporeon: The Bubble Jet Pokemon. One of the three evolved forms of Eevee in Kanto, Vaporeon can change its body into liqued to avoid attacks. They are powerful Water Types who flow easily through water before striking. This subject is a five year old female."**

"Vaporeon," said Tayuyu. "Great Pokemon," she told Josh.

"She's better than great," said Josh as the massive Onix hit the ground with a terrific boom. "She's amazing! Good girl, Vaporeon!"

"Vap! Vaporeon!" cheered Vaporeon.

"O... nix..."

With a slow, horrifying crunching sound, the Onix pulled itself out of the Gravel, his eyes filled with rage. "ONIX! ONIX! ONIX!" he roared as he charged at the now frightened Vaporeon.

"Vaporeon!" shouted Josh. "Use Aurora Beam!"

"Vape! Pory!" Vaporeon said. She fired a powerful icy rainbow, striking the Onix in the face. The Onix snarled in fury as he glared down, seemingly nonfazed.

"Man!" said Tony, holding up his Pokedex once more. "What is this guy made of?"

**"Onix," **the Pokedex said. **"The Rock Snake Pokemon. The typical diet for an Onix consists of soil and rocks. The more it eats, the larger it gets, shedding more soil and gravel off of its body as it grows. An Onix never stops growing. This subject is a male who is about twelve years of age."**

"'Never stops growing?'" asked Tony. "That thing could actually get even bigger?"

Tayuyu reached into her belt and pulled out another Pokeball. "Kyubi, you're up!" she shouted, triggering the capture mechinism.

A proud looking Ninetails sprang foward and assumed a battle position. "Tails!"

Tayuyu turned to Josh. "Keep having your Vaporeon distract it, and Kyubi will charge up his Solar Beam!"

Josh grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Vaporeon! Keep using Surf, right in the face!"

"Vaporeon!" Vaporeon called. "Va por reo peon!" (Right in the face!) She charges at Onix and whirled around again, crashing into his face and sending him to the ground. Water and gravel was flying through the air as Onix smashed into the ground once more with a pained cry. The massive beast began to rise up again, glaring at the Vaporeon.

"Oh, no you don't!" said Tayuyu. "Alright, Kyubi, you ready?"

"Nine!" said Kyubi, a golden aura surrounding him. With a snarl, he unleashed his fully charged Solar Beam. The Grass attack struck Onix right in the face, startling tha blinding the Onix and smashing him back into the ground. The teens covered their eyes as the bright flash blinded them.

When the light and the smoke cleared, the Onix slowly rose off the ground. "Oh, come on!" said Tony, angrily.

The Onix gave an angry - and pained - roar, and turned away. With a snarl, he leaped into the ground, digging into it and fleeing. Dust flew into the air, scattering everywhere. Tayuyu pulled out her inhaler and took a few wiffs.

Josh gave a breath of relief. "Hah!" he shouted. "That'll show ya!"

Tayuyu smiled as she returned Kyubi, putting her inhaler back in her pocket. "Good boy," she said.

Tony looked over the devestated field. "What... what was that all about? Why did that thing try to kill us?"

Kirby shrugged. "I have no idea. Are Onix even native to this area?"

"I don't think so," said Tayuyu. "We should report this to the police or something."

The low trill of a siren rang through the air. "Well, speak of the devil..." muttered Josh, as a police car drew closer and closer. It was driving across the field, and heading right towards them.

Tony paled. "Oh, no, they're not going to arrest us, are they?"

"Of course not," Kirby said. "We're all technically still minors. They couldn't throw us in jail."

"Oh," said Tony. "Right... Phew!"

"Well, they could still put us in juvinile hall," said Tayuyu.

Tony nearly fell over, much to the girl's amusement. "Oh, nuts..."

The police car came to a stop, and an Officer Jenny popped out, and looked around. She sighed as she looked over to the kids, before running over. "Are you kids okay?" she asked. "You could've been killed!"

"Uh, we're fine, ma'am!" said Tny, nervously. "But Lucky got hurt!"

"Bree..." Lucky said, weakly.

Officer Jenny gave a breath of relief. "Well, I'm glad no one is dead!" she said. "Uh, sorry about the Onix!" she said, rubbing the back of her head.

Tony blinked. _This Jenny is a lot different from the one over in Viridian. Well, she is a different woman after all..._

A dark haired, dark skinned man jumped out of the car, followed by a red headed girl with bright green eyes. "Onix!" the man shouted, looking around. "Come on, bud! We need to go home!"

There was no reply. The man sighed. "Dang it..."

"I'm sorry, sir," said Officer Jenny. "We were too late again."

"Don't worry," the young girl said. "We'll... OHMYGOSH!"

The man looked up. "What, is it Onix?"

The girl grinned. "No!" she said, a grin on her freckled face. "Even better! IT'S JOSH BELMONT!"

Officer Jenny yelped in surprise and delight, looking to Josh. "It is?"

Josh frowned. "Ah, crud..."

Both women were on him in an instant.

"Oh my gosh, it's you!"

"I'm your biggest fan!"

"You're much cuter in real life!"

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Wanna go for dinner?"

"Are you having your concert here?"

"When is it, I'll buy tickets!"

"Do you think we could go backstage?"

"H-hey!" Josh said. "Tayuyu, Kirby! Gimme a hand here!"

Both of the teens ignored him. Instead, they ran over to the dark haired man. "Hey, Mr. Brock!" said Kirby.

The dark haired man turned around to see the two. "Ah, hey!" he said. "Kirby and Tayaya, right?"

"Tayuyu," said girl corrected. "But, yeah, that's me!"

"I remember you two," Brock said. "You were around here about a year ago, right?"

"Yeah," said Kirby. "Good to see you again!"

"You too," said Brock. "What brings you back? If you want a Gym Battle, it'll have to wait..."

"Nope," said Tayuyu. "Actually, we're travelling with Tony," she said, gesturing to Tony.

"Hey!" Brock said. "I know you! You're the kid in the paper, the one who took on Team Rocket!"

"Uh, yeah, that's me," said Tony. "Man, a lot of people know me now..."

"Glad ta meet ya," Brock said, shaking Tony's hand."Name's Brock, the Gym Leader of Pewter City! Sorry about my Onix..."

"Wait, that was your Onix?" said Tony, shocked.

Before Brock could answer, Officer Jenny managed to pry herself off of Josh. "Um, Mr. Brock," she said. "Sorry, but Onix seems to have fled..."

Brock sighed. "Yeah, I know..." he said, sadly. "Poor guy, all alone and confused."

"That was your Onix?" said Tayuyu. "Wow, what happened? He was nuts out there!"

Brock sighed. "Yeah, it was mine. Poor guy's in a lot of trouble."

"Maybe we should talk about this back in town," said Jenny. "We're in a lot of danger out here, with that Onix running around!"

"Good idea!" Brock said. "Only someone as perfect and lovely as you could come up with such brilliance Jenny."

Tony blinked. _What the...?_

Jenny turned red. "Uh..."

"Hey, Katie!" Brock said. "Let's... Katie?"

"Brock!" squealed the red head, dragging Josh over. "Don't you know who this is? It's Josh Belmont, the rock star!"

"Uh... Hi?" offered Josh.

"Hey, I remember you, too!" said Brock. "You have a Boulder Badge too. Never knew you were into music..."

"Are you kidding me?" the red head shouted. "Josh Belmont is only the greatest rock star in the history of the world! You need to get out more, Brock..."

Brock shook his head. "This is Katie," he said, gesturing to the girl. "She's a good friend of mine. She's been helping me search for Onix!"

"Heya," Tayuyu greeted.

"Hi, I'm Kirby," Kirby said, shaking the girl's hand.

"Hiya, Kirby!" said Katie. "Say, you're not hard on the eyes either!"

Kirby blinked. "Wha...?"

Brock chuckled. "Katie's a little... foward..." he explained to Tony.

"You're one to talk," Jenny muttered quietly.

"Come on," Brock said to the group, pointing to the police car. "I'll tell you all about it back at town!"

Tony nodded. "Sounds good, sir!"

* * *

><p>Brock decided to treat the group to lunch at his own house. The house was kept quite clean, and the teens and the police officer sat in Brock's dining room while he grabbed their lunch. Katie didn't stop making googly eyes at Josh (and Kirby, and Tony once too...), much to Josh's discomfort.<p>

Brock, it turns out, was a great cook. He quickly made them a great meal of riceballs (not jelly doughnuts, riceballs) and got them some nice cold lemonade for them to drink. He even gave Lucky a small bowl, which she was sipping out of. Katie hadn't left Josh alone since they had arrived, making it very clear that she was a fan of his.

"So, Mr. Brock," Tony said.

"Please, just Brock," Brock replied. "Mr. makes me sound old."

"Alright, Brock," said Tony. "Why was your Onix going crazy?"

"It was just yesterday," Officer Jenny said, answering for Brock. "Our Pokemon Center was attacked."

"By Team Rocket?" questioned Tony, eagerly.

Katie nodded. "Yup. Those Ratatta's tried to make off with everyone's Pokemon, but Brock and Officer Jenny stopped them cold!"

"Yeah, we did," Brock said. "But one of those thieves hit Onix with a Confuse Ray. We managed to beat them, but Onix was still confused, and still thought that we were fighting. He went crazy and when Officer Jenny tried to stop him, he escaped into the fields outside of town. Whenever someone goes out there, he tries to attack them!"

Jenny nodded. "He's a danger to the citizens and himself, so we need to take him out and get him to the Pokemon Center. But he always manages to escape!"

"Can't the police do anything about it?" asked

Brock frowned. "We need to find a way to take down Onix safely, with no one getting seriously hurt. We need professionals!"

"So, who are you getting?" asked Tony, taking a sip of his lemonade.

"I was hoping I could get you four..." Brock said.

One overused spit take later, and Tony looked up at Brock. "What? Us?"

"Why us?" asked Kirby. "We aren't the police!"

"And we barely won the last time!" Tayuyu added.

"Why do you want us to do it?" asked Tony.

"Because, you were gutsy enough to take on Team Rocket," said Brock. "And Josh, Kirby and Tayuyu have beaten my Onix in the past! You're the perfect team for this!"

"Point made..." Josh said. "Still..."

"Hey!" said Katie. "Don't forget about me! I've beaten you, too, Brock!"

"Right," said Brock. "Don't worry, you can help too. All we need is a plan, and we can save Onix from himself."

"I dunno," said Tony. "I mean, all I have are Bug Types. Not exactly great against Rock Types."

"Neither are Fire Types or Flying Types," Tayuyu said. None of them were exactly fitted for this.

"So?" said Katie. "We won't know until we try, right? Of courses we'll help Brock!"

"Yeah," Josh said. "My concert can't go on if the place isn't safe!"

"Well, now I have to help!" said Katie. "I'm not letting the best rock star ever miss his own concert!" she said, hearts in her eyes.

Josh scooted his seat back a little.

"Well," Tony said. "I can't get my Gym Badge if you don't have Onix. And I don't want anyone to get hurt so, sure I'll help!"

"Well, I can't go if Tony's still here, so I'll help too!" said Tayuyu.

"I refuse to remain a victim!" said Kirby. "I'll help too!"

"Great!" Brock said, happily. "Now we can save Onix! All we need is a plan!"

Jenny nodded. "Then let's make one!" she said.

And so, the new team began to scheme.

* * *

><p>Celedon City was one of the largest cities in the Kanto Region. It was also the busiest; cars constantly drove down the streets, the subways were always crowded, and the air was never quiet. Men, women, children of all ages wandered the streets.<p>

Solomon Grey, AKA Salt, exited the subway with a sigh. Another day, another boring meeting with the manager, and another threat to be unemployed. Bliss.

Solomon never liked his job. He worked at the Celedon Department store, in the gift shop. Sadly, his manager, Ms. Stacy, was always out to get him. If something went wrong, he was the one who got the blame. If someone broke something, BAM, Solomon's fault. If someone complained, BAM, Solomon's fault. Sadly, it was the only job that he, an uneducated, degreeless bum could get.

Other than thievery.

Solomon sighed as he walked into the apartment building where he and his sister made their residence. Pam was currently out on a date, so he had the place to himself. He walked upstairs and walked down the hall to his door. Oddly enough, he could hear the sound of reality TV on in the room, meaning that Pam wasn't on a date after all...

Solomon opened the door to find Pam, wearing her black date dress and sitting on the couch with a huge bowl of ramen on her lap and a cup of cola in her hands. Various other jnk foods were lying on the couch. Her shoes and tights were tossed on the floor, along with several other empty ramen cans on the ground.

Also known as the little sister after bad date binge.

"Hey, Pam," Solomon said, locking the door.

"Hey, Salt," said Pam, sticking with the nicknames.

"Thought you had a date tonight."

"I did," said Pam. "He was a jerk."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Don't be," said Pam. "I nicked his wallet. Want some ramen?" she said, gesturing to the counter. More containers of the noodles were waiting.

"Sure," Solomon said.

"How was work?" asked Pam.

"Lousy."

"That Stacy brat again?"

"Mm-hmm," Solomon muttered, popping the ramen in the microwave. He had to hit the barely functional oven to make it work.

"You want me to pound her?" asked Pam, slurping more noodles. "I'll pound her."

"No."

"You're no fun."

"Correct." Solomon pulled his ramen out of the microwave, grabbed a fork, and joined his sister on the coach. As he sat down, there was a crunch. Solomon stood up and pulled a bag of BBQ potato chips off the coach.

"Hey, careful!" said Pam, taking them away and opening the bag. "I wanted to eat that!" she said, shoving some chips into her mouth. She took a large gulp of soda.

Solomon sat there, with his little sister, and watched reality TV. "God, this show sucks," said Pam.

"Then why watch it?" Solomon asked.

"Because there's nothing else on!" said Pam. "I mean, all there is is the news."

"Ah," Solomon said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. "Come out, Zubat," he ordered.

The Zubat emerged and flew around, before landing on his trainer's head. "You hungry boy?" asked Solomon.

"Zu bu ba..."

"That'll be a yes," said Solomon, standing up and walking to the cover. He reached inside and pulled out a can of Nurse Joy's Premium Pokemon Food. He popped open the can and held it up to the Zubat, who eagerly dug in. Solomon walked back to the coach and sat down, Zubat still eating from the can on his head.

"You look stupid," said Pam.

"I know."

"Okay." Pam pulled a red box from off the floor. "Want some pocky?"

"Pass."

"Okay," said Pam. "By the way, the electric company called."

Solomon nodded. The electric company was Rocket Grunt code for the Team. If the electric company called, that usually meant you were either getting a new assignment, or they were getting fired.

"What did they say? Are we fired?"

"Of course not!" said Pam, rolling her eyes. "Fire me? That's be stupid! They just told us of our new assignment!"

"Oh. Where is it?"

"Vermillion City," said Pam. "The Boss has a heist planned, and he needs all the help he can get!"

Solomon nodded. "Even us," he said.

"Of course!" said Pam. "So make sure you're ready. We're heading out this weekend.

Solomon leaned back on the couch as his Zubat finished his food and began to fly around the room, before hiding in one of the darker corners.

Two jobs, and they both were awful

* * *

><p><strong>Well, this is kind of a cop out ending for this chapter. Sorry, but I was getting tired. The good news is that I'm about to finish my Dissidia: Final Fantasy fic, Birds of a Feather, so I can work on my other fics more. Next week I'm focusing on getting Titans Neo back on its feet, and Explorers of Prehistory.<strong>

**Well, we have a new OC, Katie! Thanks again for that, Chicflick! Sorry I didn't flash her out very well (other than the fact she's a flirt) so I'll try hard to make her more a character as time goes on. I've also noticed that every boy in the current party is a blonde, and every girl is a red head. Scary, huh?**

**Well, tune in next time! I'll try to update soon!**


	10. Recapturing Onix

**Last time on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony and Co. barely escaped the deadly Onix attack. They discovered that the Onix belonged to Brock, the Gym Leader of Pewter City. They also met Brock's flirtacious friend Katie, who is a huge fan to Josh, much to his chagrine. Now, they're making a plan to capture Onix and keep him safe before he hurts anyone else! Will they do it?**

**Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Night had fallen over Pewter City, and the surrounding fields. The sky was dark, and the stone grey streets were lit by their street lights. The plains outside were dark, only brightened by the flashlights of our young heroes.<p>

Katie pouted as she leaned against a rock. Of all the boys to get stuck with on this mission, she got Tony. Sure, Tony was cute and all, but still JOSH FREAKING BELMONT! One of the greatest music artists in the world was in the general vincinity of her, and she was stuck with the country boy who spent all his time talking to his Butterfree. Joy.

"Hey, Katie," Brock's voice said on her walkey talkey. "Have you seen anything?"

"Nope," said Katie into her own walkey talkey. "Nothing on our side."

"Nothing over here," said Tayuyu. She and Josh were staking out the other side of town. _Lucky... _thought Katie, unhappily.

"Nothing on our side," said Kirby, as he and Brock kept their eyes on the exit. "No sign of any Onix, or anything else."

"Say," said Tayuyu into her own walkey talkey. "Where's Officer Jenny? She's not with us."

Brock took the walkie from Kirby. "She's on her way," he said. "She said she had to get something from the station."

"Hey!" Tony said, catching Katie's attention. "Over there!"

Katie turned to see Jenny's squad car driving towards them. The car stopped, and the door popped open, Jenny getting out in full uniform. "Any sign of Onix?" she asked, as she walked towards them, carrying a box in her arms.

"Nope," said Tony. "What's in the box?" he asked, curiously.

Jenny opened the box to reveal several disk-shaped metal devices. "These are tracking devices!" she said, proudly. "Even if we lose Onix, if we slap one of these on him, we'll be able to track him down!"

Katie nodded as she took a few of the trackers. "Very cool!" she said, impressed. She quickly pocketed the two trackers.

Jenny nodded. "I need to bring these to the others, so they can use them too," she said, heading back to her car. "Good luck!"

"Thanks!" both Katie and Tony called, with a "Bree!" from Lucky.

"Alright," said Katie. "Now we just have to wait."

Tony leaned back against the rock, flipping out his Pokedex again, looking through Onix's data. "I wonder if Onix is asleep?" he said. "Maybe that's why he hasn't come out."

Katie shrugged as she leaned against the rock too. "Who knows?" she asked, sleepily. "I'm tired," she complained.

Tony shrugged. "Well, you didn't have to stay out here..."

"Yeah, I did!" said Katie. "Brock's a good friend of mine! If I needed help, I'd want him to come and help him!"

Tony shrugged. "Alright then. Wonder how Josh and Tayuyu are doing?"

Katie scowled. _It's not fair! I get stuck here, while sweet little Tayuyu gets to hang with the boy of my dreams! Of all the lousy luck..._

Tony flipped through his Pokedex, oblivious to Katie's dilemma. Beside him, Butterfree gave a yawn. Tony yawned too, patting her on the head. "Next time someone asks me to sit in a rocky field in the middle of night to look for a killer Pokemon, please don't let me," he told the Bug Type.

Lucky nodded in agreement, before landing on Tony's head. The boy's messy blonde hair was rather comfy. With another yawn, the Butterfree fell asleep, leaving Tony and Katie the only ones up. Oh, joy.

"Maybe we should all just go home," yawned Katie, sleepily. "I bet Onix will be up in the morning."

Tony didn't reply. He was too bust looking at Onix's data from the Pokedex, trying to find something they could use against him. "Hey," he said. "It says here that Onix have really poor eyesight, and rely mostly on their sense of smell and the vibrations on the ground to find their enemies."

Katie yawned. "Yeah, so?" she asked. "That's kinda common knowledge."

Tony shrugged. "Well, at least I'm trying!" he said. "Come on! You said Brock was your friend, so why don't you help?"

"I am helping," Katie said. "I'm just tired..." She leaned back against the pointed rock. "Wake me when something interesting happens..."

Tony rolled his eyes as he checked his Pokedex again. "I hope you're okay, Onix," he said to himself.

A tremor on the ground answered him. "Nix..."

Tony jumped up off of the rock, falling onto his rear-end. Lucy toppled off of his head, waking as she hit the ground too. "What the-?"

Slowly, Onix's head poked out of the dirt, his eyes filled with confused rage. The rock that they had been lying on was his horn! And Katie was still on top of his head!

"Katie!" shouted Tony. "Wake up!"

Katie yawned sleepily. "Five more minutes, Josh dear."

Ignoring the Josh dear comment, Tony shouted again, "Come on! You're in danger!"

"Bree!" shouted Lucky.

Katie's eyes slowly opened. "I'm up, I'm up..." she moaned, standing up. She fell over, surprised that the ground was moving, and landed right on Onix's snout. She slowly turned to stare right at Onix's huge, angry eyes. "Holy-!" she began.

Onix roared angrily, shaking his head in an attempt to dislodge the girl. Katie screamed as she grabbed onto the beast's horn. "Tony! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!"

Tony stared up at the massive beast. "Uh... How?"

"DO SOMETHING!" shouted Katie.

The Onix roared and began to slither off towards the Pewter City, the girl still gripping his horn. "I'll think of something!" shouted Tony. He pulled out his walkie talkie. "Everyone! We've found Onix!"

"What?" Brock's voice said. "We're on our way, alright? You and Katie just keep away from him!"

"Uh, that's gonna be hard..." Tony said. "Katie's kinda on Onix's head."

"What!" This time it was Jenny who spoke. "Oh, darn it! How'd that happen?"

Tony chuckled weakly. "Long story..."

"TONY!" shouted Katie. "GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!"

"Hey, Tony!" said Tayuyu into her own walkey. "I think I see you two! We're on our way! Come out Blaze!"

Tony nodded. All he had to do now, was keep out of trouble... and get Katie off the giant rampaging monster. Oh joy. "Katie!" he shouted. "See if you can climb down!"

"I'm trying that!" shouted Katie. "He won't stop moving! I'm too young to die!" she wailed.

Tony sighed. "Alright!" he shouted, chasing after Onix as he wriggled towards Pewter. "I'll think of something! By the way, you should put one of those trackers on his head, just in case we lose him!"

"I'm about to die and that's all you can think about?" shouted Katie as she gripped Onix's horn.

"Well, you should!" Tony shouted. "Just in case! Besides, we can use on to track you down too!"

Katie groaned. "Fine!" she shouted, pulling the black disk from her pocket and slapping it on the Onix's horn. The red light began to glow brightly. "Now what do I do?" she screamed as Onix bucked, nearly throwing her to the ground and an inevitible broken spinal cord.

Tony grunted as he kept running after the Rock Snake, trying to think. "Lucky!" he said. "Do you think you could carry Katie down here?"

Lucky stared at the boy incredulously.

"Right, dumb question," Tony said. "Well, we need to do something! Otherwise Katie might fall!"

"Any ideas?" shouted Katie as Onix roared, struggling to shake her off of his head.

"I'm working on it!" Tony replied. "Just gimme a second!"

"Come on!" Katie yelled.

"Tony! Katie!" a familiar voice cried.

Tony looked up to see Tayuyu and Josh riding on Blaze and flying towards Onix. "We're on our way!" shouted Tayuyu. "Just sit tight!"

The Onix gave another mighty buck. "I don't think I caaaaaaaaaan!" Katie screamed as she was thrown off the Onix.

Time seemed to slow down. Katie plummeted to the ground while Blaze charged for her, Tayuyu and Josh both filled with horror as the girl plummeted to the ground. Blaze shot foward, barely intercepting the girl as she fell. The Charizard fell to the earth with a thud and a scream, not able to withstand the weight of three people. Blaze moaned in agony as her scales were scratched by the hard earth, cutting into her skin. She slid across the gravel coming to a stop. The children were tossed from her back.

Katie winced as she was thrown off, ready to hit the hard ground. However, she found herself landing on a nice, soft lap. She looked up to see that she had landed on a dazed and bruised Josh Belmont. "My hero!" she squealed, hugging his neck.

Josh sweatdropped. "Uh..."

"Enough of the mushy stuff!" shouted Tayuyu, standing up. She returned the badly battered Blaze to her Pokeball. "Take five girl. Let's see Kyubi take a shot!" She pulled out another Pokeball and tossed it.

Kyubi emerged from the Pokeball, glaring up at the Onix. "Ni nine tail tails! Nine tal ninetails!" (I beat you once! I'll do it again!)

Onix roared down at the pitiful little fox who dared stand against him. "ONIX! ONIX! ONIX!" (DESTROY! DESTROY! DESTROY!) He charged at the Ninetails, shooting towards him with a deadly tackle attack.

"Dodge it, Kyubi!" shouted Tayuyu.

The ninetails easily leaped aside from the Onix's attack. "Nine!"

"Now, charge up your Solar Beam!" shouted Tayuyu.

Josh slapped himself. "Uh, aren't you forgetting something?" he asked. "Solar Beam needs sunlight! There is no sun out at night!"

Tayuyu froze. "I... I don't need you to scold me!" shouted Tayuyu, cross that her plan was going to fail.

Josh sighed. "Looks like it's my turn!" He pulled a pair of shiny Pokeballs from his pocket. "Alright, come on out! Nidoking, Vaporeon, on stage!"

Vaporeon appeared again, looking ready to please her trainer again. By her side, a large, purple Pokemon appeared.

"Wow," said Tony, holding up his Pokedex. "A real Nidoking!" he said, impressed.

**"Nidoking, the Drill Pokemon," **the Pokedex chimed. **"Nidoking is final form of the Male Nidoran. It is a Poison/Ground type. It evolves when exposed to a Moonstone, which are often found in Mt. Moon. This Pokemon is a very proud and powerful, and it is capable of amazing feats of strength. The horn on its head is capable of smashing stone, earning this Pokemon the name of the Drill Pokemon. This Pokemon tends to be difficult to obtain, but it is very popular amongst collectors. This specimen is about six years old and obviously male. It knows the moves Horn Attack, Surf, Poison Jab, and Earth Power."**

"Alright, Vaporeon, Nidoking!" shouted Josh, pointing at the Onix. "Both of you use Surf!" (A/N: Yes, Nidoking can learn Surf in the later games.)

"Nido!"

"Vapor!"

Both Pokemon shot blasts of water out of their mouthes, spinning until they became massive waves. They slammed into the Onix, dousing him with water. With a pained cry, the Onix hit the ground, kicking up a spray of wet dirt that splattered all over the place...

Including Josh, Tayuyu and Katie.

"Smooth move, pretty boy," said Tayuyu, sarcastically.

"Dibs on the shower when we go back to Pewter," muttered Josh.

"Ahh! It's Josh Belmont's mud!" Katie squealed. "I'm never washing again!"

Josh and Tayuyu stared like Katie had grown a second head.

Katie chuckled. "Kidding, kidding! I'm not thay crazy!"

"Riiight..."

"Hey, guys!" Tony ran up breathlessly, Butterfree right behind him. "Are you all okay?"

"Well, we're filthy, tired and nearly just got killed, but other than that, just peachy," said Josh unhappily.

"Next time this happens, do me a favor and make me say no," Tayuyu grumbled.

"Hey!" Katie said. "Brock's my friend! We have to help him out!"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "But you were just saying..."

"Hey down there!"

The teens looked up to see Brock and Kirby on Taka, flying down to them. They both hopped off the exhausted bird as they landed, and Kirby returned the tired Pidgeot to her Pokeball. Most Bird Pokemon were not used to carrying more than one person.

Brock ran over to the kids. "Officer Jenny's on her way!" he informed them. "Where's Onix?"

Before they could say anything at all, a high pitched "Vaaaapoooor!" shot through the air as Vaporeon flew over head, hitting the ground. The Water Type had been knocked out.

Josh panicked. "Ahh! Vaporeon!" he yelled, grabbing her. "Are you okay?"

Vaporeon managed to crack open an eye. "Vape..."

Josh pulled out his Pokeball, returning the Eeveelution. "Sorry girl. I got distracted."

"Look!" Kirby said, pointing. "Onix and that Nidoking are fighting!"

Sure enough, Onix and Nidoking were circling each other, squaring off as they prepared for a fierce battle.

"Use Earth Power, Nidoking!" shouted Josh.

With a roar, Nidoking smashed his foot onto the ground, sending a shockwave through the ground until it erupted under the massive Onix. The beast roared as it crashed into the ground. However, he wasn't out yet. He rose up and roared, swinging his massive tail at the Nidoking and knocking him on his back.

"Nido! King nido!" Nidoking roared, standing up. The attack had barely done anything to him.

"Alright!" Josh said, growling. "Take him down with-!"

"No, wait!" Brock shouted. "I need to talk to him!"

"What?" Katie said, surprised. "Brock are you nutty?"

"I need to talk to him!" Brock repeated. "I want to try and calm him down, before anyone else gets hurt!" he cried, running towards Onix.

Tony whistled. "That guy's insane."

"Well, wouldn't you do the same for your Pokemon?" asked Tayuyu.

Tony thought about it. "Point made," he said.

"Onix!" Brock shouted. "Onix, it's me! Brock!"

The Onix stared down at the tiny little man who dared approach him. "Onix!" he roared.

Brock raised his hands at the Rock Snake. "I know you're upset!" he said. "But we want to help you! Just calm down, okay?"

Onix roared and swing his tail at Brock, angry at his intrusion. Brock screamed as the tail knocked him on his back, dazing him.

"Oh, no! Brock!" Katie shouted.

"Nidoking!" yelled Josh. "Use Surf again!"

"King!" roared Nidoking, swirling into another massive wave and smashing into Onix. Taking advantage of the Pokemon's struggle, Brock got up and started to head back to the kids, moaning in pain.

"ONIX!" roared Onix, smashing his tail into Nidoking once more. The Ground/Poison type was knocked aside, badly hurt. He moaned as he blacked out. Josh quickly returned him to his Pokeball before Onix could attack him in his weakened state.

Onix roared as he slithered after the retreating Brock. "ONIX!"

"Don't worry Brock!" shouted Katie, pulling out a Pokeball and twirling it basketball style before tossing it. "We're on our way! Athena, go get 'em!"

A proud looking Pidgeot emerged from the Pokeball. "Pidgey!" she chirped, landing on the ground next to her trainer.

"Athena!" Katie said. "Go save Brock, hurry!"

"Pidgey!" shouted Athena, taking off and shooting for Brock. She swooped down and grabbed Brock by his black vest, carrying him away from the Onix.

"T-thanks!" said Brock, as the Pidgeot carried him away from the rampaging Onix.

Onix angrily roared as Brock flew off with the Pidgeot. He smashed his tail into the ground, massive boulders being ripped from the earth. The Rock Snake siezed a boulder with his mouth and tossed it at the Pidgeot.

"Watch out!" shouted Katie.

Athena's eyes widened as she dodged the rock, narrowly avoiding the boulder. Onix snarled as he tossed more and more at the bird and the Gym Leader. Athena weaved and dodged the rocks as they shot for her. Thankfully, the Pidgeot finally managed to get Brock safely to the ground.

Brock gave a gasp of relief. "Safe at last..."

"BROCK YOU MORON!" shouted Katie into the young man's ear. "YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN KILLED!"

Brock shrank back. "...Sorry..."

"Uh, guys!" said Kirby. "We've still got trouble here!"

Onix roared as he grabbed another boulder, preparing to toss it at them.

"Growlithe, Flamethrower now!"

A massive blast of fire scorched Onix's face, forcing him to boulder to the earth.

Officer Jenny stood at the ready, with a very crabby and sleepy looking Nurse Joy at her side. An orange and striped Dog Pokemon was at the police officer's feet.

Tony naturally flipped out his Pokedex. "Might as well..." he muttered.

**"Growlithe," **the Pokedex said. **"The Puppy Pokemon. A pure Fire-Type, Growlithe is a loyal guard dog who will stay at his trainer's side through thick or thin. It will obey its trainer's every order. This subject is a female, and is roughly five years old."**

Brock shot across the field to the two women. "My heroes!" he cheered, hugging both women.

Nurse Joy then proceded to knee him in the crotch. "Dang it Brock! What'd I tell you about that!" the Nurse screamed.

The teenages stared, surprised. "What the..." they muttered in unison.

"Sorry..." muttered Brock, picking himself off the ground.

"What was that?" Tony asked.

Katie rubbed the back of her head. "Well, not all Nurse Joys are... joyful, you know."

Nurse Joy whirled around in Katie's direction. "What you call me?"

Katie blinked. "Uh, nothing, nothing at all!"

"Alright, everyone!" Jenny shouted. "We need to spread out and surround Onix! Then, we hit him with everything we've got! We have to knock him out!" She turned to Brock as the kids surrounded the roaring Onix. "Get your Pokeball ready!" she said. "We'll weaken him up for you!"

"Right!" the teens shouted. They quickly split up, each one taking their Pokemon and preparing to strike at the Onix.

"Sorry, Onix!" shouted Katie as she and Athena flanked him from the left. "But this is for your own good! Use Hyper Beam, Athena!"

"Pidgey!" chirped Athena, before blasting Onix right in the face with a burst of pure energy. The blast caused Onix to screech in pain.

Tony pulled out Alph's Pokeball, throwing it to the ground. The Spinarak emerged, this time looking very eager. The Pokedex wasn't kidding about it being noctornal. "Alph!" Tony said. "We need to help too! Lucky, Silver Wind, and Alph, use your Poison Stings!"

Both Pokemon obeyed, (albiet Alph was reluctant) and began to pelt the Onix with their own attacks. They weren't very effective, but Josh took care of that quickly. "Come on out, Magmar!" the rockstar yelled. "Hit him with your Lava Plume!"

A fiery Magmar emerged, her eyes blazing. She roared as she unleashed a burst of hot flames and magma, striking Onix.

Tayuyu tossed her own Pokeball, as did Kirby.

"Use Focus Blast, Mach!"

"Use Razor Wind, Blade!"

The Fightning Type and the Bug Type emerged and quickly blasted at Onix, their attacks hitting it full force. The beast finally went down, kicking up an explosion of dust and gravel. Tayuyu pulled out her inhaler as the dust cloud enveloped, breathing into it and waving the dust away. "Did we win?" she asked, once the dust began to die down.

The answer came soon enough. Onix laid on the ground, his eyes closed and his face contorted in pain. He was out cold.

"We did it!" cheered Katie.

Brock didn't hesitate. He tossed the Pokeball in his hands. It hit Onix's head, and absorbed the Rock Snake inside. The Pokeball shook a few times before finally finishing with a "DING!"

Brock gave a sigh of relief. "We did it," he said, happily. "Thanks a lot everyone!"

"Come on!" Jenny said. "We need to get Onix to the Pokemon Center!"

Everyone agreed. The sooner they got to the center, they got to go to bed too!

* * *

><p>Midnight had passed, and yet the teens were still in the waiting room, anticipating Nurse Joy's return. The grumpy Nurse had taken Onix back into her office to check him out. The kids were covered in mud, dirt and dust, and their eyes were barely open. Their Pokemon looked exhausted as well, except for Alph, who quite enjoyed the dark, even if he was stuck in the Pokemon Center. The Spider Pokemon was crawling over everything and anything.<p>

Brock was pacing nervously around the room, while Officer Jenny was nodding off in one of the chairs, sleepily.

Finally, Nurse Joy came out, a grim expression on her face.

Brock shot up. "Is he okay?" he demanded, grabbing onto the Nurse's shoulders. "Is he okay?"

Nurse Joy raised an eyebrow. "No touching rule, Brock," she said.

Brock let her go. "Sorry," he said.

Nurse Joy nodded. "Your Onix is fine," she said. "He's up and at 'em, perfectly healthy."

Brock gave a breath of relief. "Phew," he said. "I was worried that when you came out looking so grim..."

"'Looking so grim'?" Joy said, her mood changing in an instant. "What do you mean by 'grim'?"

Brock stepped back. "Uh, I'm just saying..."

"What, you're saying that I'm grumpy?" snapped Joy, grabbing Brock by the collar. "I'm not grumpy! I'm as happy as a kid in the candy store!" She put on a huge, unconvincing and scary grin. "I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO STAY UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND HELP PEOPLE, SEVERLY STRESSING ME OUT AND REDUCING MY SLEEPING TIME! I'M ALWAYS HAPPY! I'M - NURSE - JOY!"

Jenny grabbed her friend by the shoulder. "Okay, that's enough coffee for you," she said, pulling the Nurse off the now frightened Brock. "Sorry about her, she's had about twelve cups of coffee tonight. She's a little crazy..."

"I AM NOT CRAZY!" Joy roared. "I'M A PERFECTLY HAPPY..."

Thankfully, a caffine coma followed her outrage. Joy fell over onto Jenny, fast asleep within an instant.

Tony blinked. "That was scary..."

Brock nodded. "It sure was..."

"I'll get Joy to bed," said Jenny. "You guys better get rested up too." She turned to Brock. "You can pick up Onix in the morning!" she said. "Oh, and, uh 'we hope to see you again'!" she finished with a very Nurse Joy-ish bow, making sure to emulate the Pokemon Center experience.

Tony and Brock laughed as Jenny carried her friend to her bedroom. "Thanks a lot," said Brock, shaking Tony's hand. "If it hadn't been for you kids, who knows how long Onix could have been enraged."

Tony rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, it's not such a big deal. But I know a way you can repay me!"

Brock laughed. "With a battle, right?"

Tony nodded. "Me verses you, tomorrow afternoon! Sound good?"

Brock nodded. "Sounds great! I accept your challenge!"

"Right!" said Tony. "You hear that guys? I'm..." He paused when he caught sight of his friends. They were all fast asleep on their chairs.

Tony chuckled as he began to feel fatigue sink into himself. "Well, I guess I get a room to myself tonight!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author Note:<strong>

**I NEVER WANT TO WRITE A FIGHT SCENE WITH AN ONIX EVER AGAIN.**

**So many freaking Rock Throws... Ugh...**

**Well, the good news is that I've pretty much finished the next chapter, so I can work on Explorers of Prehistory and Fast Love 2 more this coming week. Until then, see you next week folks!**


	11. Tony vs Brock!

**_L_ast time, on Tony's Journey, Tony and friends managed to bring Onix to his senses and save him from his own confused rage. Now, Onix is rested up, and Tony and Brock are going toe to toe in a battle royal! So, here's the Showdown in Pewter City! Tony VS Brock!**

**(Dramatic music plays.)**

* * *

><p>Morning came to Pewter City,and soon came the noon. The weather wasn't looking as good as it did the day before; the sky was as gray as the stones that made up most of the town, and the wind was blowing. It looked like a huge rainstorm was on its way. But a whole different kind of storm was about to take place.<p>

A fangirl storm.

The moment that Josh arrived at the local stage of the city, every fan of his immediately swarmed for tickets, nearly killing the poor ticket vendor attendant. It didn't take long for the theater to be filled, and the sweet sounds of Josh's guitar echoed throughout the building, starting with his guitar cover of "Bloody Tears." The rock star-to-be played, as his loyal (and scary) fans cheered him on.

As Josh was on stage, Tony was on the battle-field. The young man had gotten up early to make sure his Pokemon were in top shape, and then prepared himself for the Gym Battle. He stood in the Pewter Gym. The Gym, like everything else in Pewter, was made of stone. Stone walls, stone floors, etc.

Tony stood, his face filled with determination that was as hard as solid steel. Lucky flittered right next to him, nervous and determined, ready for the Gym battle. With this victory, Tony would be one step closer to the Pokemon League, and showing how strong a Bug Pokemon could be. Then, with championship credit under his belt, he could easily write his book and get people to understand more about Bug Pokemon, and show everyone just how wrong they were.

Tony clenched his fists as he approached the battlefield. Brock was waiting on the other side, his arms folded. Tayuyu and Kirby were sitting on the benches with their Pokemon out, ready to support their friend. Tayuyu was holding a video camera, filming the battle for Tony's Aunt and Uncle to enjoy. Josh was off at his concert, and Katie was one of the screaming fans. Taka, Tim and Blade sat side by side, next to Blaze, Kyubi and Mach. The Pokemon cheered as Tony walked onto the battlefield, facing down Brock with Lucky by his side.

"Glad to see you're ready," Brock said.

"Me too," said Tony, cracking his knuckles. "You ready?"

Brock chuckled. "I am," he said. "But don't expect me to go easy on you, just because you saved Onix! You want this badge? Then you're gonna have to earn it!"

Tony grinned. "Don't worry about me! Worry about yourself!"

"Gladly!" Brock replied, pulling out a Pokeball. "Alright, let's do this! Go Geodude!"

Tony pulled out his own Pokeball. "Come on out, Alph!"

Lucky rolled her eyes. "Butter free…" (Not again…)

Alph appeared in a flash of light, his dark eyes shining as he stood on the rocky battlefield. "Rak…"

Brock's Pokemon emerged as well. a creature that looked like a rock stood on the ground, with two powerful arms outstretched, and an intense expression on his face. "Geo dude!" he proclaimed, smashing his fists together.

Tony pulled out his Pokedex in a flash. "Better check about this guy," he said.

"**Geodude," **the Pokedex said. **"The Rock Pokemon and a Rock/Ground type. Geodude disguises itself as a rock to protect itself from predators at night. Its body is completely solid, and regular attacks have little effect. They travel via rolling like a boulder. As their life goes on, their body smoothes out due to their constant rolling. This specimen is male, and roughly nine years old. It knows the moves Tackle, Defense Curl, and Rock Throw."**

Tony nodded. _A Rock Type move… I figured as much. Good thing I sent out Alph first; Lucky is weaker to Rock Type attacks than he is. Let's just hope he's ready for this! _"Alright!" he said out loud. "We're ready for you, Brock!"

Brock grinned. "Better get ready for a beat down, then!" he said.

The Gym's referee stood at the edge of the battlefield, raising his hands. "The Gym Battle between Tony Miller of Pallet Town and Leader Brock of Pewter City will commence now! As the challenger, Tony has the first move!"

"It's all yours, Tony!" said Brock.

"You'll regret that!" Tony replied. "Alright, Alph, do what you do best! String Shot!"

"Spinarak," said Alph, before unleashing a volley of sticky webbing from his mouth. The Geodude tried to dodge, but it was too late, and the webbing struck him, slowing him down.

"That won't save you!" said Brock. "Geodude doesn't need to touch you to beat you! Use Rock Throw!" he ordered.

Geodude grinned as he ripped a massive hunk of earth from the floor, chucking it at Alph. The Spinarak stared, his eyes wide as the rock shot towards him.

"Dodge it, Alph!" shouted Tony. The spider complied, shaking off his fear and leaping aside. The rock smashed into the earth with a mighty crack. But Geodude wasn't done there. Though covered in sticky threads, he was giving up, and kept tossing rocks at the poor Spinarak, who was now trembling in fear as he dodged them.

"Don't let him push you around, Alph!" shouted Tony. "Use Poison Sting!"

Tayuyu winced as Alph shot dozens of poisonous needles from his mandibles. "Poison Sting?" she asked Kirby. "Poison isn't effective against both Rock and Ground types! What's Tony thinking?"

Kirby shrugged. "He isn't the brightest bulb in the box, that's for sure…"

Tayuyu turned to Tony. "Uh, you do know the camera is still on, right?"

Kirby blinked, panicking. "Uh, wait, Mrs. Miller, I didn't mean it!" he cried, shaking his head at the camera. He was horrified at the prospect of the sweet lady being angry with him.

Tayuyu laughed. "Don't worry!" she said, turning back to the battle. "I'll remove it in editing… probably…"

Brock shook his head as the poisonous spikes shot at his Geodude. "Use Defense Curl!" he shouted.

Geodude nodded and curled into a strong, rock ball. The stings splintered and shattered on his rocky hide. When the barrage ended, he looked up, grinning at the Spinarak… until he noticed a sharp, purple stinger that had sunk into his arm. The Geodude's eyes widened as he began to feel dizzy and sick.

Brock blinked. "Ah, man, he's been poisoned!"

"Uh… Right!" Tony said. "Just like I planned!"

"Spin rak pin pinner…" Alph muttered. (Like heck you did…)

"Now, while he's distracted!" said Tony. "Use Constrict!"

The Spinarak nodded as he hurled more webbing at the Geodude, this time wrapping it up like a snake does to a mouse. With a grunt, Alph tugged on the web lasso, squeezing the dazed Geodude, who growled angrily. Despite the attack, it wasn't doing much. Alph just didn't have any moves that were too good against a Rock Type like Geodude.

"Break out, Geodude!" shouted Brock. "Show him we're determined!"

Geodude grunted. "Geo!" he said, breaking out of the webbing. He quickly grabbed the webbing and pulled the Spinarak over to him.

"Look out, Alph!" Tony shouted. But it was too late. Geodude smashed his fist into the Spinarak, sending the spider flying away. Alph hit the ground, his legs twitching. With a groan, the Spinarak got up, his six legs shaking.

"Alph, are you okay?" asked Tony. The spider managed to nod. "Great!" Tony said. "Let's show Brock that we're determined too, okay? Use String Shot again!"

"Rak…" Alph said. He fired off more gobs of spider web. They struck the Geodude, entangling him further.

"Don't take that lying down, Geodude!" shouted Brock. "Hit him with a Rock Throw!"

Geodude grunted in reply. However, he was out of luck: Alph's webbing had almost completely immobilized him. His arms were stuck together in a sticky mess, and he could barely move at all.

"Oh no!" Brock said, realizing the problem.

"Now's our chance!" Tony shouted. "Hit him in with Poison Sting again! Make it count!"

"Rak!" said Alph, unleashing another volley of poisonous needles. They relentlessly pounded the already poisoned Geodude, until it groaned in pain. The Rock Type was covered in webbing and poisoned needles. With a groan of pain and relief, it collapsed to the rocky floor, the poison taking hold.

"Geodude is unable to battle!" the referee shouted, gesturing to Tony. "Alph is the winner!"

Alph raised his front legs in victory. The Spinarak was bruised and beaten, but victorious.

"Alright! Great job, Alph!" Tony proclaimed, pulling out Alph's Pokeball. "You deserve a good, long rest!" he said, returning Alph to his home. The Spinarak was thrilled to go back.

Brock chuckled as he returned Geodude. "Great job," he said. "You have rock hard determination! I like that! But determination isn't everything! You need skill too! Let's see if you have it!" He pulled out his last Pokeball. "Onix, come out!"

Onix emerged from his Pokeball, looking both healthy and ready for battle.

Tayuyu was impressed. "Hey, he did it!" she said.

Kirby nodded. "Well, I beat Brock with all Flying types, so I guess the impossible isn't all that impossible. Besides, type advantages aren't everything!"

Tayuyu nodded. "Well, my team wasn't exactly good for Water Types, but I still beat Misty!" She chuckled to herself. "Tony isn't such a rookie after all!"

"You're right, Brock," said Tony, to the Gym Leader. "I do need skill… But I need something else, too! Luck! And I got the luckiest girl in the world right here!" He turned to his Butterfree. "Ready Lucky?"

"Bree!" Lucky proclaimed, flitting back to the battlefield. "Butterfree!"

Onix stared down at the Bug Type. "Onix nix oni onix," it said. "Oni nix onix on onix!" (Thanks for the help yesterday. But don't expect me to go easy on you!)

"But butter ree bree butter rutter bree!" Lucky replied. (I wouldn't have it any other way!)

"As the challenger, Tony gets the first attack!" said the referee once more. "Begin!"

"Lucky, start with Silver Wind!" Tony shouted, pointing at Onix.

Lucky nodded and flapped her wings, creating a silvery gale. The attack struck the mighty Onix, but the Rock Type didn't go down.

"Not bad," Brock said, "but it won't save you! Screech, Onix!"

Onix screeched loudly at Lucky, knocking her back. "Now, use Rock Throw!" said Brock.

Onix gripped a hunk of earth with his mouth and tossed it at the tiny Butterfree, roaring as he did so.

"Look out Lucky!" shouted Tony.

Lucky's eyes widened as she flitted to the side, the boulder narrowly missing her. "Now, use Silver Wind again!" shouted Tony.

Lucky nodded, albeit reluctantly. Another gust of silvery dust struck the Rock Snake Pokemon, but it didn't have much effect.

"Tackle, Onix!" shouted Brock.

Onix roared as is charged at Lucky, swinging its massive tail. Tony opened his mouth to tell Lucky to dodge, but it was too late. The tail struck the Butterfree and sent her to the ground. She hit the ground with a squeak.

"Lucky!" Tony said. "Are you okay?"

Lucky got up, and weakly flew back up again. "Bree!" she said, very determined.

Tony pulled out Alph's Pokeball. "Come on back," he ordered. "Let's see if Alph can beat Onix like he did Geodude!"

"Bree?" Lucky said. "Bree! But bree ree butter!" (What? No! I'll do it myself!) She charged at the Onix angrily. "But free ree ter bree!" (I don't need his help!)

"Mach cham champ cham champ?" Mach said, surprised. (Would you look at that?)

Taka nodded. "Pid pidgey to otto ot Pidge!" (Seems Lucky is jealous of Alph!)

"Char, char izard!" said Blaze. (Wow, you're right!) "Char zard zarchar char rar char chari!" (And that's enough to get her fighting!)

Blade was surprised as well. "Scy… There Scyther scy ther fer scytherfer!" (Wow… If only I had that determination!)

"Lucky!" Tony shouted. "Come on back, you're hurt!"

"Free bree pree!" Lucky retorted. (So is Alph!)

"Hey, Tony!" said Tayuyu. "I think Lucky still wants to fight!"

Tony sighed. "Alright," he said. "But be careful!"

"Bree ree!" Lucky said. (I will!)

Tony rubbed his eyes. "We're not done yet!" he told Brock.

The Gym Leader nodded. "Neither are we! Use Rock Throw, Onix!"

"Onix!" replied Onix, as he tossed another boulder at the Bug.

Despite the pain that coursed through her body, Lucky was determined to win. She weaved away from the boulder, and charged straight for Onix's face. "Use Confusion!" shouted Tony. Though he was terrified of what would happen if Onix was confused again and went on another rampage, he knew that that attack would be the most effective against the Rock Type.

The mental waves battered Onix. With a pained cry, he hit the ground with a mighty crash, sending dust and gravel flying into the air.

"Onix!" shouted Brock. "Are you okay?"

"O... nix..." Onix grunted as he picked himself up.

Brock grinned. "Great! Alright, let's finish this! Use Tackle, and go all out!"

Onix roared in response, charging straight for Lucky. "Oniiiiiixxxxxx!"

"Lucky, use Confusion one more time!" shouted Tony.

Lucky nodded and charged at Onix. "Breeeeeee!"

Everything happened very fast after that.

Lucky's Confusion attack struck Onix, and the Rock Snake Pokemon had finally had enough. He went down with a pained groan. However, Lucky was in the way, and she was struck by the massive creature and thrown to the ground with a squeal, out cold. Both Pokemon were out like lights.

"Lucky!" shouted Tony, running over to the Butterfree and picking her up. Thankfully, she was still breathing; Pokemon were amazingly hardy creatures.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" shouted the referee. "Because the challenger still has one Pokemon, the winner is Tony Miller of Pallet Town!"

"Alright, Tony!" shouted Kirby and Tayuyu. The Pokemon on the stands cheered too, in an odd medley of shrieks, chirps and roars.

Lucky's eyes slowly opened. She saw Tony smiling down on her, and felt pride well up in side. "Bree..."

"Great job, Lucky," Tony said, pulling out her Pokeball and returning her. "Get well soon."

After returning Onix to his own Pokeball, Brock began to clap. "Bravo!" he said to Tony. "Looks like you win the day!"

Tony rubbed the back of his head. Both trainers were filthy; dirt and dust from the fight covered them, and the fight had given them both an adreniline rush. Tony wiped the dust off his sweaty brow and smiled. "Thanks," he said. "But I wouldn't have been able to do that without Lucky or Alph."

"That's right," Brock said. "Too many trainers forget that their Pokemon are the real reason they win. Don't forget that, and it'll get you far," Brock said, shaking the boy's hand firmly. He pulled a small, slate colored badge. "I hereby give you this Boulder Badge, and give you proof that you have defeated the Pewter City Gym!"

Tony took the small badge. It felt cold and smooth in his hand. He closed his hand around it, feeling newfound pride and determination. He felt as strong and hard as a rock, completely unbreakable. "Thanks a lot!" he told Brock.

Brock nodded. "Come on," he said, to both Tony and to his friends. "Let's add Tony to the list of certified trainers!"

He led to the children to the stone statues of Onix in the front of the Gym. A computer screen was at the base of one of the Onix. Brock typed on it, and after logging and and a few minutes of waiting, he turned and smiled, gesturing to the screen. Tony Miller of Pallet Town was written on the screen in big bold letters. "Alright," Brock said. "Now you're officially registered to the Pokemon League! Now, that badge and this name on the League's database proves that you're a certified trainer of this Gym!"

Tony grinned. "Was there any doubt?" he asked.

"Don't get too overconfident!" warned Tayuyu. "This is only the first Gym on a long, long road! You still got seven to go!"

Tony laughed it off. "No sweat! I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!"

Brock nodded. "Well, with those skills, you're ready for all sorts of challenges! Even that tournament down in Vermillion!"

"What?" asked Kirby. "There's a tournament in Vermillion City?"

"You didn't hear?" asked Brock. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a poster. "Look here," he said. "It's says that there's a tournament that they're holding on the St. Anne, a luxery cruise liner! She's docking in Vermillion in three weeks!"

"Then that gives us three weeks to get there!" said Tony eagerly.

"What about your journey?" asked Tayuyu, raising an eyebrow. "Last time I checked, you're supposed to be getting data from the Pokedex and beating the Gym Leaders, not taking part in some kinda rookie's tournament!"

"Yeah, so?" asked Tony. "I'm supposed to be getting data for the Pokedex, right? And what better way to see new Pokemon then to go to a tournament and see them face to face?"

Tayuyu rolled her eyes. "I guess that makes sense..." she muttered. The thought of having to watch a ton of whiney trainers face off on a boat wasn't exactly appealing to her. She had been to tournaments before, and they had all just been little boys and school girls who cried when they lost. Pure bliss.

Brock laughed. "Come on, it'll be fun! Heck, even Giovanni will be there!"

Tayuyu blinked. "Giovanni? The Gym Leader Giovanni?"

"Is there any other Giovanni you know?" asked Brock.

Kirby whistled. "If Giovanni's going there, then it must be serious!"

"Heck yeah," said Tayuyu. "Okay, now we HAVE to go! Sounds like a real serious chance to test my skills!"

Tony raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Uh-huh," he said. "Now you're all for it."

"Well, it's Giovanni!" said Tayuyu. "He's one of the greatest Gym Leaders of all time! if he supports it, it must be awesome!"

"Not only is Giovanni there," said Brock, excited. "Angelica Ann Angel is going to be there too!" the Gym Leader swooned."

"Who?" asked Tony.

"You don't know Angelica Angel?" asked Tayuyu. "She's a trainer who has a part time job working for _Poke Girl _magazine," the red head explained. "She's pretty famous."

"Yeah!" said Brock, pulling a magazine out of his back pocket. A blonde haired, pretty looking woman was on the cover, wearing a Pikachu hoodie. "She's not only beautiful, but she's an amazing trainer too!"

Kirby pulled out another issue of _Poke Girl. _This time, she was wearing a beanie that resembled a Bulbasaur bulb. "She's pretty famous, even though she's only part time! If she's gonna be there, you can count on a crowd showing up!"

Tayuyu and Tony stared. "Why do you have issues of _Poke Girl_?" asked Tayuyu.

Both Kirby and Brock turned red. "Uh... I like the articles about skin care?" Brock said.

"Uh... Because..." Kirby stuttered.

Before anything else could be said, Tony and Tayuyu burst out laughing. It didn't take too long for Brock and Kirby to join in too.

* * *

><p>"Here are your Pokemon!" said Nurse Joy cheerily. "Thank you for using our Pokemon Center! We hope to see you again!"<p>

Tony blinked. The Nurse Joy who had been raving like a lunatic and snarling like a rabid Houndoom last night was now being cheery and kind, with a huge smile on her face.

And boy was it freaky.

Tony shrugged and walked away slowly, pocketing his Pokeballs.

_"We hope to see you again!"_

Tony paused. "Could she have meant... Nah, no way!"

He slowly turned and looked at Nurse Joy. She was staring ahead, blankly, with that big smile on her face.

The Bug Catcher quickly made his way to the dining hall, only breathing once he knew he was out of the Nurse's sight. Kirby and Tayuyu had already gotten them a table, and a nice warm cheese pizza.

"Heya, guys," he said, sitting down and checking over his shoulder one last time. Was that a flash of pink he just saw in the hallway?

"Hey," said Tayuyu. "I got the tape downloaded on the center's public computer and I sent it to Proffesor Oak. He'll be sure to show it to your Aunt, if he remembers."

Tony nodded. Oak was brilliant, but his memory wasn't the greatest. Still, he would hopefully remember to show his Aunt. Besides, Tony had to call Aunt Sally before he left the center. "Well, I'm sure she'll be excited!" Tony said. "So, next is Cerulean City, right?"

Tayuyu nodded. "Cerulean City," she confirmed. "But to get there, we need to hike through Mt. Moon Caves."

"No problem!" said Kirby, chewing his pizza. "Mt. Moon's not dangerous as long as you stay on the lit path!"

Tony nodded, excited. He had actually been to Mt. Moon once with his Uncle. They had gone digging for Pokemon fossils to give to the Pewter City Museum. "Sounds awesome!" Tony said, pulling a slice of pizza off. "Let's head out when we're done lunch!"

"In the rain?" asked Tayuyu, raising an eyebrow. "In case you haven't noticed, it is storming outside."

Tony sighed. "Aww..."

"Chill out and eat your pizza," said Kirby, handing Tony a slice.

Tony nodded, taking the pizza. "Oh!" he said. "That reminds me!" He pulled out his Pokeballs and took off his backpack. He released Alph and Lucky onto the floor. The two Bug Types stared up at him curiously as he dug into his backpack. "Hey, guys," he said. "I've got something for you!"

He pulled out two small cans of Nurse Joy Premium Pokemon Food, specially blended to suit the tastes of Butterfree and Spinarak. "I got these at the Pokemart!" he said. "Thank goodness they had the Spinarak Blend. It's not native to Kanto, and I was worried they wouldn't have it. He quickly removed the lids from the cans and placed them on the floor. "Eat up, you two! You did great today!"

Lucky quickly ate her's without hesitation. Premium Pokemon Food was more expensive than the typical variety version that you could buy. And the smiling face of Nurse Joy on the wrapper was just so inviting. (And now very creepy to Tony.)

Alph stared at the delicious smelling brown pieces and then up at the one who ordered him about.

"Go on!" said Tony. "It's good!"

Alph warily took a bite, and agreed. _He's a strange one... But I think he wants me to be happy... Hmm..._

"Hey, guys!"

Tayuyu groaned as Josh, wearing his ridiculous sunglasses and his hat. "How're things?" he asked, sitting next to Tayuyu. "Ooh, pizza, thanks!"

"Uh, you're welcome," said Kirby, as Josh quickly picked up a piece and started eating.

"So, how was your concert?" asked Tayuyu, annoyed.

"Oh, it went fine," Josh said. "Of course, now I have to go into hiding until I can leave town. Which is why I'm back here!"

"We figured," Tony said, drily.

Josh sighed. "I'm just glad I have you guys to hide with! Otherwise, that loonie would find me again!"

"You mean Katie?" asked Kirby. "Brock's friend?"

"Yeah, her!" Josh said, shivering. "Sheesh, she practically tore my arm off. Thank goodness she isn't here now..."

"HEY! JOSHIE!"

Speak of the teenage girl...

Josh fought the urge to scream as Katie ran into the room, and quickly found him. "There you are!" she said, happily.

Josh paled. "H-h-how did you...?"

Katie laughed. "I can recognize you no matter what you wear!" she said. "Besides, those sunglasses look stupid. Too stupid for anyone who isn't in hiding to wear!"

Josh groaned. "Ohh..."

"So!" Katie said, turning away from Josh. "Where are you all headed now?"

"Well, next we're going to Cerulean next," said Tony. "Then we're heading to Vermillion so we can join the St. Anne Tournament!"

"The St. Anne Tournament?" asked Josh. "Hey, I'm heading there too!"

Tayuyu blinked, and then groaned. "But why?" she asked.

"I got a gig!" Josh said. "Some big business woman asked me to perform there! She's helping to sponser the event with Giovanni, the gym leader of Viridian City! I'm leaving first thing tomorrow, if I want to get there in time! This could be what I need to make it big!"

"Wow, sounds great!" said Katie. "If you're gonna be there then I'm so gonna be there!"

Josh winced. "Oh, great!" he said, nervously.

Kirby grinned. "I better work on my skills while we head there," he said. "I need to be on the top of my game for when I fight in that tournament!"

Tayuyu laughed. "Work all you want, and I'll still stomp you!"

So, the teens began to laugh amongst each other, until tomorrow, where their journey would continue on.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's this chapter. Next time, the gang sets off, meets a new friends, and we get to see more of Giovanni's evil plans! Stay tuned!<strong>


	12. Farewell, Josh Belmont

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony beat Brock, the Gym Leader of Pewter City, and is now on his way to Cerulean City via the Mt. Moon path! What awaits him on his way? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Cinnabar Island. A distant, sea-side island. Famous for sandy beachs, clear skies, and the Cinnabar Gym. Another famous landmark was the Pokemon Mansion. Owned by millionare trainer and respected scientist and businessman, Giovanni.<p>

Said millionare trainer and respected scientist and business was on his way to the Mansion. After a long week of battling trainers, the time to head to his humble abode had come. Of course, he was ready for a nice weekend. Sleeping in, having a late cup of coffee, and watching his favorite TV shows. But first, he still had some business to take care of.

The illegal kind.

Giovanni smiled as his limo driver opened the door to his limosine and let him out. He breathed in the ocean air, and streatched his arms. Without a word of thanks, he let the driver park the car as he walked over to the mansion. His butler opened his door, and his maid took his coat. They both left without a word.

Giovanni's Mansion was very beautiful, and filled with what you'd expect from a rich mansion. There were rich red carpets, paintings of Giovanni's mostly deceased family, and carvings of Pokemon. Mainly, a Pokemon that had been on Giovanni's mind for ages.

At the fireplace, there was a carving on the mantle. A carving of a Pokemon that had not been seen in a long, long time.

Mew.

Giovanni gently traced his fingers on the Pokemon's head. A Pokemon that had been more powerful than man, than any other Pokemon. For ages, it had been a sight to behold. A magnificent, cat-like being with a mind so powerful, it could devestate even the most powerful Psychic Type Pokemon in battle.

Giovanni's hand traced over the creature's face. He placed his thumb over it's eye. "Goldeen Tails," he muttered.

The statue's eyes flash, sampling his DNA. The DNA and the password were both correct.

With a metallic clank, the empty fireplace rose up, revealing a metal door. Giovanni opened the door and stepped into the elevator. He placed his finger on the button and the elevator door slid shut, and went down below his house, to the lab.

The door slid open to reveal a silver colored lab dozens of scientists were hard at work. Typing on computer keypads, carrying around lab samples, and barking orders. Chaotic, but efficiant. Giovanni walked into the lab. The Scientists whom he passed stopped to salute him. He returned them with a nod. Finally, he reached the one he wanted to speak with. Dr. Ivan and Celia Rhodes. Both scientists were frantically typing away on their computers, sweat dripping from their brows.

"Mr. Rhodes," said Giovanni, walking up. "How goes the experiment?"

Ivan looked up, surprised. "Mr. Giovanni?" he stammered.

"W-what are you...?" asked Celia.

"Checking on my best scientists," said Giovanni. "Now, as I said before, how goes Operation Fossil?"

Ivan swallowed. "I'm afraid the fossils we recieved were... inadequete, sir."

Giovanni raised an eyebrow. Strike one. "What do you mean by 'inadequete', Mr. Rhodes?"

Celia swallowed. "Sir, the fossils didn't contain enough DNA for us to make a clone. We can't possibly do anything with them!"

Giovanni rubbed his brow. Strike two. "I paid five _thousand _Poke for those fossils, you know. That's about as much as I pay you two, the most experienced and brillaint experts on cloning. And now that I have you two in my employ, you chose this time to inform me that my efforts and hard earned money were _wasted _and that you two _brilliant scientists _are incapable of using them for anything?"

Ivan raised his hands. "It's not my fault!" he said. "If we had the equipment we used to have at the Cinnabar Lab..."

Strike three.

Giovanni slammed his hand on the desk, startling the two scientists. "Are you saying that this is MY fault?" he snapped. "I sign your checks, I give you housing, and I've made your daughter into a fine agent! And in return, you've produced absolutely NOTHING!"

Both Ivan and Celia shrunk back. No one else in the lab had paid their boss any mind. They saw this kind of thing all the time.

"Sir..." Ivan stammered. "We just need another fossil, that's all! An intact fossil, with DNA left over..."

Giovanni was enraged. All he wanted were rare, extinct fossil Pokemon. That's why he had hired these two in the first place. And now, they had done nothing but fail him. "Very well," he snapped. "You and your wife shall get your fossils. You, and a group of Rocket Agents shall go to Mt. Moon first thing in the morning. You will find these fossils, and bring them back here."

Celia paled. "Just us and the agents? What if the police come? We'll be arrested for sure!"

"Ms. Reeds shall also accompany you. She will take care of any meddlers," Giovanni said.

"Ms. Reeds?" spluttered Celia. "But sir, with all due respect, she's insane! That's why she was locked away in the Hoenn Asylum!"

"She may me insane, but you're incompitant!" snapped Giovanni. "My mind is made up. Pack what equipment you need. I'll call Ms. Reeds and inform her of the change of plans." With one last glare at the two, pitiful scientists, Giovanni stalked out of the lab, passing by the workers who were actually producing results.

He really needed a cup of coffee.

* * *

><p>Morning came, and the sun shone down on Pewter City. The grass was wet with the night's rain, as were the rocks. The air was nice, crisp and clean, filled with the scents of summer morning after summer storms.<p>

There was no place anyone would rather be. Except maybe...

"Why are we out of bed?" yawned Tayuyu crabbily. "It's only six in the morning!"

"Because," said Tony, equally sleepy. "Josh wanted us to see him off."

Kirby yawned. "We could have just said good bye last night," he noted.

"None of us are even out of our pajamas!" said Tayuyu.

Tony yawned. "None of our Pokemon are even up."

"Because they have common sense," said Kirby.

The three teenagers sighed in unison.

"Hey guys!"

Josh ran up happily, a cup of steaming espresso in his hand. "Wow, you all look pooped! Why so tired?"

"Grrrrr..." Tayuyu snarled, her eyes barely open.

Josh shrugged. "Well," he said. "The limo should be here in a few minutes. This is for now," he said emotionally. "Tony, hold onto your dreams! Kirby, keep running around without shoes! Fight the power! And Tayuyu..." He paused. "Well, just stay pretty until next we meet!"

Tayuyu growled again, raising her fist. She was tired, but not too tired to bash the rockstar on the head...

Josh sighed. "Oh, this is so sad. I've only known you three for about two days, and I'm already attatched!" He rubbed his eyes. "Well, I hate long goodbyes, so this it! Farewell, guys! You've been the best cover I've ever travelled with!" He sniffled and turned away. "I shall depart now!" he announced.

"HEY! JOSH! WAAAAAAAIIIIT!"

Josh's eyes widened. "Oh, man, no!" he moaned.

Katie burst down the road of Pewter City, waving her arms. She was also wearing her pajamas, along with a green moisterizer cream. "Wait for me!" she shouted. "You didn't say goodbye to MEEEEEE!"

Josh began to run. Fast. "AAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed, as the fangirl chased him.

Before he could get too far, a sleek, black limo drove up, stopping next to him. The rear window slowly lowered, revealing a blonde, wavy haired woman inside. "Josh Belmont?" she asked.

Josh nodded. "Yeah, yeah! You're Mrs. Maruko, right?"

Anna nodded. "Yes, I am. Please, get in. We have much to discuss."

Josh nodded, quickly opening the door and rushing inside.

"Hey! Josh! WAIT UP!" Katie shouted, chasing after the limo as it drove off.

Inside the very nice, very expensive limo, Anna turned to Josh. "A fan of yours?" she asked.

Josh nodded. "A pain in the butt, too..."

Anna smiled, shaking the boy's hand. "No need to worry about it now, young man. We've talked on the phone, but never in person. I'm Anna Maruko."

Josh nodded, shaking back. "Josh Belmont," he said. "Nice to meet you."

Anna nodded. "Indeed. I have a feeling we'll get along _famously."_

* * *

><p>While the trainer's away, the Pokemon will play, the old expression goes.<p>

Though Alph wasn't exactly playing.

The Spinarak had woken up, still not used to the sleeping cycles of most Pokemon. His dark eyes scanned the room. The other Pokemon were asleep, snoring quietly in the darkness. The humans were missing, off doing something or another.

Perfect.

Alph crawled over to the other Pokemon. Taka, Lucky, Blade, Blaze, Kyubi, Mach, and Tim were all fast asleep. He walked over to Blade, and shot a strand of webbing, straight into the Scyther's face.

Blade woke with a start. "Wha- what?"

"Shh!" ordered Alph. "I want to talk to you."

Blade yawned. "Now? What time is it?"

"It is early enough. We talk."

Blaze's eyes flickered open. "What's all the racket?" she asked, sleepily.

Blade shrugged. "The little guy wants to talk about something."

"Yes, I do," Alph said. "What do you know about the tall one."

"The who?" asked Blaze.

"The tall one who commands me," explained Alph. "Where did he come from? What does he want?"

Blaze yawned. "Don't you know?" the Charizard asked. "He's your trainer. He wants to train you."

"Why? Why does he want to train me?" asked Alph.

"Because you're a Bug Pokemon," Blade said. "He likes Bug types."

"But why?" pressed Alph. "This makes no sense!"

"B... because!" Blade said. "He wants to be your friend! Now go to sleep." The Scyther closed his eyes again.

"So, if I was not a Spinarak, he wouldn't want me?" asked Alph.

Blaze sighed. "Look, we don't know your trainer. Go ask Lucky. She's been with him the longest."

Alph looked around. "Why are you afraid to talk? The fiery one isn't here."

"The who?" asked Blade.

"The one with hair like fire and eyes like a meadow," said Alph. "The one who commands you," he said, jabbing a leg towards Blaze.

"You mean Tayuyu?" asked Blaze. "She's my trainer, and my friend!"

"Why?" asked Alph.

"Because she's kind, loyal, brave, and strong!" said Blaze. "Go to sleep!" She closed her eyes and made a sound that signified she didn't want to be stirred.

"So," Alph said. "My trainer needs to be these things?"

"I guess..." said Blade, yawning. He closed his eyes. "We can talk about it later."

"Hmm..." Alph said, crawling over to Lucky. The Butterfree was lying on Tony's bed, curled comfortably in the blankets, fast asleep. A String Shot in the face took care of that.

"Wha? What was that?" she demanded, as she pulled the sticky strand off of her face. "Alph! What are you doing?"

"I want to know about the tall one!" Alph said.

"The who?" asked Lucky.

"The tall one!" said Alph. "The one who controls us! Why is that so hard to understand!"

Lucky rolled her eyes. "You mean Tony," she said. "He's out trainer, and we're his partners."

Alph stared. "Is he kind, loyal, brave and strong?" asked Alph.

"Of course he is, stupid!" snapped Lucky. "He's out trainer! He raised me from the day I was born, I'll have you know!"

"So, he sends us to attack creatures that could crush us?" asked Alph.

Lucky nodded. "It was a Pokemon battle! Of course we were fighting! You should just be grateful that you got the Geodude while I got the Onix!"

"It doesn't make any sense..." muttered Alph. "The tall one risks out well being, and his own. Is he stupid?"

"No!" snapped Lucky. "He's not stupid! Tony is one the kindest, greatest trainers for anyone to have! And I don't think _you_, who's only been with us for a few days, are in _any_ position to judge! Now go to sleep!"

"But I don't understand!" complained Alph. "Is he brainwashing us?"

"What?" asked Lucky. "Brainwashing? Why would he do that! He gave you that gourmet Pokemon food the other day, remember?"

Alph blinked. "Yes..."

"He did it because he cares!" snapped Lucky. "Now go back to sleep!" She curled up in the blankets again.

Alph stared at the Butterfree. "Weird..." he muttered. "I'll have to watch the tall one some more, and find out what he's up to..."

Without a word, the Spinarak curled into a corner and went quiet.

* * *

><p>Neither Tony, Kirby, or Tayuyu knew what to say as the limo drove off, leaving a depressed Katie in the dust. The girl was sitting there, her green mostierizer mask covered in dust and her nice pajamas left filthy. After about five seconds, Katie got up. "WELL FINE!" she shouted, shaking her fist. "If you don't want to say goodbye, then go on and go!" She stuck her tongue out, twirled around on one heel, and angrily marched back to Pewter, walking by Tony and company.<p>

"Uh..." Tony said.

"No, no!" said Katie. "No need to feel sorry for me! He was a rockstar, for Pete's sake! He'd probably just crash his expensive sports car, do a ton of illegal stuff, and end up in jail, and then be the universal punch-line for every single joke in the universe like every other celebrity ever!" She laughed haughtily. "I don't need him! I have..." She paused. "You guys!" she declared. "I don't need a rockstar, because I have my friends!"

"Uh, we've only known each other for about two days..." said Tayuyu.

"Who cares?" declared Katie. "Group hug!" she declared, grabbing them and squeezing them tightly.

"Uh..." the kids muttered in unison.

Katie yawned. "Well, I'm sleepy!" she said. "And now I've gotten my mask all dusty!" She walked off. "See you in about two hours!" she said. "I'm exhausted! Dibs on the shower when we all wake up!"

The three teens looked at each other. "Well," Tony said. "Back to bed?"

"HECK YEAH!"

* * *

><p>After waking up at ten in the morning, eating a late breakfast of cold eggs and waffles, Tony and his friends were alert, awake, and getting ready to go.<p>

And, much to Tayuyu's irritation, so was Katie, who was insisting that she come along. The red headed girl had shown up at the door to their room in the Pokemon Center, begging to be allowed to come with them to Vermillion.

"How is it that every weirdo we come across wants to travel with us?" she asked herself.

"Come on!" begged Katie. "I'm all ready to go and everything! I won't be any trouble!"

"Uh, well," Tony said, rubbing the back of his head. "I dunno..."

"You let he-who-shall-not-be-named go with you!" whined Katie. "Come on! I want to go to the tournament too, and I don't want to travel alone!"

"Well, why don't you asked Brock if he can come?" asked Tony.

"I can't!" said Katie. "He's too busy being a Gym Leader! Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come-!"

"Alright, alright!" Tony said. "Please, stop shouting!"

Katie brightened immidietly. "Yay!" she said, hugging Tony. "I'll go get ready right now!" She shot off like a bullet.

Tony turned to Tayuyu and Kirby, who were staring at him oddly. "What?"

Tayuyu sighed. "Picking up another stray..." she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "Ah, well, she can't be any worse than pretty boy."

Kirby shrugged. "Ah, whatever. Let's just get ready to go."

"Yeah," said Tony. "Let's get out things and then stop by the Gym! I'd like to say goodbye to Brock before we go!"

* * *

><p>Brock and Tony shared another warm handshake. "Well, I hope you make it to Vermillion in time for the tournament!" Brock said. "I'll be sure to look out for you kids when I watch the tournament on TV!"<p>

"Are you sure you don't want to come Brock?" asked Katie.

Brock nodded. "Nah, I've got too much work to do here. I got a lot of challengers around summer time! But don't worry, I'll be rooting for you all!"

"Thanks!" the teens said in unison, with a "Bree!" from Lucky, who was flitting next to Tony's head.

"Alright, stay on the roads, be safe, and Katie," Brock said, snickering, "try not to flirt with _everyone_ you meet."

"H-hey!" Katie protested. "You're one to talk! Didn't you learn your lesson the other night with Nurse Joy?"

Brock paled. "Oh, don't worry. We're cool now... I hope..." He shuddered. "Anyway, just stay out of trouble, and remember everything you see! I want to hear all about it when you get back!"

Katie waved as Brock as the teens exited the Gym. "We will! See ya Brock, I'll miss ya!"

And so, the teens ran off, heading to Route 3!

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh, I can't believe I had to cut this chapter short. I wanted it to be a little longer, but I'm running low on time. We're doing home renovations this week. I had been hoping to have a new OC named Nicole show up, but she'll have to wait till next time. Yeah, I'm sorry that I had to write Josh out for a bit. Don't worry, he'll show up again soon! <strong>

**Also, now that Thanksgiving is on the way, I'll have three days to do absolutely nada, meaning that it gives me plenty of time to right on both this and Explorers of Prehistory. So, with any luck, I'll have plenty of stuff up soon! Also, I was a bit distracted by my fictionpress story, which actually got 2 whole reviews! (That's a big deal on fictionpress, to me anyway.) And lately, I've been focusing on Explorers of Prehistory, because the fans have been waiting for a long time for it to be updated. With any luck, I can give them an update!**

**Anyways, I've just noticed something kinda scary: we have four OCs, Tony, Tayuyu, Kirby and Katie. We have a boy and a girl who have T's in their names, and a boy and a girl with K's in their names. Also, Tony and Kirby have blonde hair, while Katie and Tayuyu have red hair. That's a bit strange... Creepy, in a way. They're all really similar in a way. Oh well.**

**Next time, we get a new OC (or maybe two) and we head into Mt. Moon!**

**Review!**


	13. Mt Moon

**Last time on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony, having beaten Brock, is off to Mt. Moon, and to Cerulean City, where his next Gym Badge is waiting for him. After losing Josh to a strange woman in a limo, Katie decided to travel with Tony and co, and they're now heading to Route 3, on their way to Mt. Moon! Meanwhile, Giovanni sends his agents and scientists to get some fossils in order to revive ancient fossil Pokemon to use as new minions! What will happen? Find out now!**

**Oh, and today we have two new OCs from two awesome reviewers! Here's a special thanks to Twilight-the Moon Spirit and to RavenSong314! Thanks!**

* * *

><p>Route 3 was a beautiful, mountainside little road that led to the famous Mt. Moon. The air was crisp and clean, the sky was blue, and the soft summer breeze shook the leaves and grass. A lone semi truck drove up the road to the mountain, having just departed from Cerulean City. The truck bumped up and down as it travelled down the road, heading towards its destination: the southern entrance to Mt. Moon caves. The dawn sun shone down on the route that led to the mountain, as the truck sped on its way through the early morning.<p>

The truck came to a stop. The trailer on the back's door slip open. With unhappy moans and grunts, the two scientists known as Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes got out of the trailer, unhappy with their bumpy ride. They groaned as they rubbed their sore arms bodies, neither looking foward to heading into Mt. Moon. They were lab scientists; field studies weren't there thing.

Thier escourts quickly left the trailer as well, ten men and women, with large Rs on their black shirted chests. None of them were particularly thrilled about their choice in transportation either. However, they had a paycheck to earn, and a job to do.

A job Kelly Rhodes was ready to do.

The silvery haired fifteen year old agent examined the mountain, ready to complete their mission as quickly as possible. Finally, her very first mission; keeping an eye on two scientists who also happened to be her parents.

Fun stuff, eh?

Kelly looked around, placing her hand on the smooth Pokeball that was on her belt. They had to work fast, before

"Number 93!"

The voice of Celia Rhodes caught Kelly's attention. Her mother never called her by her real name anymore. Still, she didn't need it. Her codename was good enough for her.

"Coming," she said to Celia, who was waiting impatiently. She and Ivan were getting together the agents as quickly as possible. It was early morning, yes, but they needed to hurry, before any unwanted interference showed up.

"Alright," said Ivan, looking over the assembled agents. Kids. They were almost all kids. Homeless, bankrupt, poor, greedy or just bored, they were all young. The average Team Rocket member was less than twenty years old. It attracted young people easily. You get Pokemon, you get money, and you get that spankin' uniform.

All it costed you was your life, freedom and soul.

Kelly stood at attention, taller than the others, straighter than the others, and better than the others. That's what she was, and what she strived to be. Better. Better than everyone. She had her sights set on Rocket Executive, a job she could do one hundred times better than these no talent losers _easily_.

She wanted to be the best, like no one ever was. (Da-da-da!)

Kayla Reeds was inspecting the grunts, her usual Cheshire Cat smile plastered over her face, twirling a knife in her fingers. The newer grunts were sweating nervously, trying not to make eye contact with her. A few were native to Hoeen, and had seen reports of the psychopath's escape on the news. Kayla looked over the grunts, obviously wondering how quickly she could slit all of their throats.

She paused in front of one of the newer girls. "You've got something on your shirt..." she said.

The girl loked down, only to see nothing. "Uh..."

THWACK!

The girl crumpled to the ground, out cold with a bleeding nose.

Kayla cackled madly. "Idiot!" she jeered. "Oldest trick in the book!"

"Reeds!" snapped Ivan. "Do not harm our agents!"

"Ah, come on!" said Kayla, grabbing another agent in a headlock. "They love it when I hurt 'em! Right, kiddo?"

"Be that as it may," snarled Celia, "we need our agents alive and well! We are here to hunt fossils, not abuse our own team-members!" She stood face to face with the taller woman. "Now, you either control your primitive impulses, or I will report this to the boss!"

Kayla released the boy, who fell to the earth with a gasp. She stard down at Celia, scowling angirly, while her left eye twitched. Celia quickly realized that yelling at the psychopath may not have been the best choice she's made today.

A wave of fury, hatred, and rage rippled across Kayla's face. Slowly, she forced a smile, showing more teeth and she should. "Of course..." she said, in fake sweetness. "I wouldn;t have it any other way!" she said, smiling as widely as she could.

Celia swallowed. Kayla's fake smile was a hundred times more unpleasent than her regular smile. "V-very well," she said, her air of authority vanishing.

"Alright," Ivan said. "You all have your orders," he told the troops. "celia and I will be loking for fossils. You all keep an eye out for any hostile wild Pokemon, or any trainers orpolice. If you see any, deal with them."

"Yes sir," the grunts answered.

Celia turned to the truck driver. "And you know what to do?"

The driver nodded. "I park the truck over there, and pretend that it's broken down. I tell any police that come by that I parked it over here and out of the way to make repairs. If anyone comes into the cave, I call you and let you know."

"Correct," said Ivan with a nod. He turned to Kayla, wu was still forcing a smile. "And you... just stay out of the way."

Kayla simply smiled and said nothing.

"Alright!" said Celia. "Deploy, now!" The bizarre tropp headed into the cave. their sinister mission on their minds.

Kelly smiled.

Another day, another chance to be the best. The best at what she does.

* * *

><p>The troop of Rockets wre under the impression that their entry of Mt. Moon had gone unnoticed. They were wrong.<p>

On the ledges above the cave, there was a noice. "Chika!"

Slowly, two head poked over the rocks they had been hiding under. A black skinned girl with blue hair, and a small, gree Pokemon.

"Spring..." The girl's voice sounded frightened, but determined. "Where those who I think they were!"

"Rita!" the Pokemon answered.

The girl's eyes lit up. "Come on!" she said. She began to climb down from the ledge, wearing her school-girl uniform.

"Chika?" asked her Pokemon.

The girl looked at her Pokemon. "We can't just let them do what they want!" she said. determined. "Come on, we have to stop them!"

"Chiko, chi rita chiko rita?"

"Officer Jenny?" asked the girl. "Are you crazy? Cerulean's Officer Jenny only joined the force for the nice uniform and free donuts! She can't handle armed criminals!"

"Chi ri chi?"

"Okay, Srping, fine! Stay here. I'll just head into the deadly, Rocket infested cave alone!"

"...Chi..." The green Pokemon hopped down from her ledge and into the girl's arms.

"I knew you'd understand," the girl said. She put on her serious face. "Time for those Rocket punks to blast off!"

"Chika...?"

"Oh like you have a better pun!"

* * *

><p>"Use Poison Sting, Alph!"<p>

"Use your Pound, Jiggly!"

"Raaak!"

"Piuuuuf!"

The two Pokemon collided in midair, bouncing off of each other before landing in front of their respective trainers.

Route 3 was a beloved spot for any traveller, with its scenic paths, clean air and gentle breeezes. However, what really made it a hostpot was the feact that trainers loved to battle in the clean, crisp air. Tony was quick to discover that there were all sorts of trainers there, from experts to novices. The nearby Pokemon Center ensured that Pokemon could be ready to battle at a moment's notice. Making this a great chance to do some training with his newest member, Alph. Tony battled every trainer he could, and there were all sorts of trainers to try his skills against.

The only problem was that he hadn't intended to battle half of them.

Tony had mistakingly bumped into a girl named Robin, who then proceded to explode, accusing him of touching her. Tony, being a kind, decent guy, apoligized, but thta didn't sothe her. One thing led to another, and now they were going all out, Spinarak vs Jigglypuff.

"Alph!" Tony shouted, clenching his fists. "Don't give it up! Try Poison Sting again!"

Alph groaned as he popped up. With a "Raak!" he charged, unleashing another volley of poisonous stingers.

"Dodge it Jiggly!" shouted Robin, jumping up and down in her school uniform, her red hair swaying in the summer breeze.

With a carefree giggle, the Jigglypuff hopped weightlessly into the air, floating like a balloon over the barrage of needles.

"Now, use your Lullaby!" shouted Robin.

Jigglypuff released a soothing, sonic wave of music, intent on putting her foe to sleep. However, the Spinarak was completely unaffected. "Hah!" Tony bragged. "Alph's special ability is insomnia! No way he's going to sleep like that! All right, Alph! Let's try your Leech Life!"

Alph charged, leaping into the air towards the descending Jigglypuff. He sunk his red fangs into the Jigglypuff's head, right between the ears. The Jigglypuff hit the ground with the spider, right on top of her head, shaking her body unhappily until Alph was thrown off.

"We've got them on the ropes, Alph!" shouted Tony, raising his fists. "Let's hit 'em with a... Alph?"

Alph was staring straight at the Jigglypuff, his eyes wide, and his legs trembling.

"Alph! What happened to you?" Tony shouted.

"Haha!" said Robin, laughing. "Looks like you don't know anything about special abilities either! Jigglypuff's Cute Charm can infatuate your Pokemon!" She turned to Jiggly. "Alright, now we've got 'em! Use Pound!"

The Jigglypuff giggled again before charging foward and Pounded Alph right on the face. The Spinarak staggered back, but still couldn't take his eye off of the Jigglypuff. Hearts were practically swirling around his head as he chittered shyly.

"Come on, Alph!" shouted Tony. "She's not good enough for you!"

"Hey! You take that back!" snapped Robin. "Pound him again, Jiggly!"

"Dodge it, Alph!" shouted Tony. However, the Spinarak was still dazed. Love, the killer of violence, ladies and gentlemen.

"Alright~! Now we've got ya!" said Robin. "Use Rollout and send them packin'!"

"Jiggly!" shouted Jigglypuff, rolling into a tight ball and shooting towards Alph like a bullet.

"Alph, come on! Use String Shot, anything!" Tony shouted.

Alph managed to shake off his affection, spitting out a rather lack-luster webbing. The String tangled on Jigglypuff, but she kept coming, a trail of webbing following her until it got stuck on the ground. The web pulled Jigglypuff like a rubber band, and Jigglypuff was pulled back with a jerk, slamming into the ground with a whine.

"Ah! Abuse!" shouted Robin. "You awful boy!"

"Alright, great job Alph!" shouted Tony with a grin. The Spinarak was shaking off his attraction to the pink puffball. "Now, use Leech Life one more time!"

Alph leaped back at the tangled Jigglypuff, who squealed in pain as his fangs sank into her skin. After a few seconds (and really, really gross slurps) Jigglypuff fell to the ground, out cold.

"All right!" Tony said. "Terrific!"

Robin's face turned red as she returned her fallen friend. "B-be nice!" she screamed, before running away.

"'Be nice'?" Tony said, confused. "But... you... I..." He sighed and looked down at Alph, shrugging. "Girls."

Alph was as clueless as Tony was.

"Well," Tony said, pulling out Alph's Pokeball, returning the Spinarak. "We'd better get to the Pokemon Center. I don't wanna miss lunch, and Tayuyu might get cranky."

The blonde ran down the road, avoiding the potentially dangerous tall grass. The Pokemon Center was sitting on the foot of the Mountain, providing a rest stop for Pokemon and people, in between expeditions.

Katie was waiting by the door, a boxed lunch on her lap. She was holding a riceball (Again, not a jelly donut, a riceball. Thank you, 4Kids.)l over a small Eevee, just out of the Evolution Pokemon's reach. "Come on, Jack!" she said. "Sit boy!"

"Vee! Vee! Vee!" the Eevee, Jack, yipped, still trying to bite the riceball.

"Oh, come on!" Katie complained. "You can do it!"

"Vee!" said Jack, jumping again.

Katie groaned and dropped the riceball, allowing the Eevee to eat it. "Whoever said you can teach an old Pokemon new tricks never trained a young one," she grumbled. Notcing Tony, her face brightened and she waved. "Heya!" she said. "How'd owning the noobs go?"

"Good," said Tony with a grin. "Alph's getting some great training done! He'll be ready for Cerulean City in no time!"

"Great," said Katie. "You'll need to be ready to take on Misty. She can be hard if you aren't ready to take her on!"

"I'll be ready," Tony said with confidence. "No way we're losing to some girl who calls herself a mermaid!"

"Uh, she's the 'Tomboy Mermaid,'" said Katie, raising an eyebrow.

Tony shrugged. "Well, I beat Brock with Bug Pokemon, so I can certainly beat a Water Type Gym Leader!"

Katie shrugged. "Whatever you say..." she said.

"So," Tony said, changing the subject. "Where's Tayuyu and Kirby at?"

"Those guys?" Katie shrugged. "Dunno. They went down to the enterance. There was some kinda commotion down there."

"What kinda commotion?" asked Tony. "I mean, why aren't you there checking it out too?"

"Why would I?" asked Katie. "What could be more important than training my pwecious little Jackie-boy?" she cooed to her Eevee.

The Eevee poked his head into the boxed lunch on Katie's lap, and began to eat what food was left in it. "H-hey!" Katie said. "Bad boy!" she scolded, trying to take her lunch back.

The Eevee blissfully jumped back, the box on his head, and ran off, his little cinnamon colored legs poking out the box as he ran off, Katie in hot pursuit. "NOOOO! JACK, THAT'S MY LUNCH! GIVE IT BAAAACK!"

Tony sweatdropped. "I'm just gonna call my Aunt, and I'll join you..." he said, awkwardly.

"JACK! YOU'RE GONNA GET MY FOOD ALL OVER THE PLACE!" whined Katie, paying Tony no mind.

Tony chuckled as he walked inside the Pokemon Center, as people began to stare awkwardly at the bizaare sight that is a Katie.

* * *

><p>"Really? That's great news, Aunt Sally!"<p>

On the other line, Aunt Sally agreed, laughing. "Yes it is! Your Uncle's had a very long few months in Johto, so it will be nice to finally have him home!"

"It sure is!" Tony said, happily. "I can't wait to see him again! Do you think he'll be able to see the St. Anne Tournament?"

"Yes, he should be, if things go as planned!" Sally answered.

Tony could hardly believe the good news. His Uncle Brad, after a long, long absense on a archiological dig, was finally done. Soon, he'd be boarding a boat to Kanto, and heading to Vermillion City, where his loving family would be waiting for him. Tony missed his Uncle dearly, and now that he was coming back, he could finallly see him again, and thank him personally for Alph. Having the Spinarak on his team was really paying off for him.

"Don't worry, Auntie!" said Tony. "I'll be in Vermillion before the tournament starts! You, Pappy and Uncle can see me in action, and we can have a little family reunion!"

"Sounds great!" Aunt Sally said. "Alright, I have to get back to work before my break ends! Love you and see you soon!"

"Alright," Tony said. "Seeya, Aunt Sally!"

The other line went silent, and Tony smiled, placing the phone back on the reciever. He got his Pokeballs from the Nurse Joy (still feeling skittish about the pink haired weirdos) and opened Lucky's Pokeball.

"Heya, girl," he said. "Guess what? Uncle Brad is coming home!"

"Bree? Bree!" said Lucky, happily.

"Yup," Tony said, as they left the Pokemon Center. "Well, we'd better find the others. I really wanna get to Vermillion ASAP now!"

"Bree!" Lucky agreed.

Tony opened the door to the Pokemon Center, stepping back out into the lush Route 3.

A few young trainers, running towards the entrance of Mt. Moon, caught his attention. A ring of trainers were surrounding something or another, whilst chanting "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Hoh, boy.

Tony ran over to circle, wondering what the heck was going on.

Kirby was sitting outside the circle, leaning against a tree, his bare feet propped on a rock. His Pokemon were out of their Pokeballs; Taka was pearched in a tree with Tim, the Pidgeotto chirping angrily at the Farfetch'd, who wasn't paying any attention to her. Blade was perched on a higher branch, watching the Pokemon battle eagerly.

"Hey!" Tony shouted, waving as he ran towards the boy. "What's going on?"

Kirby sighed. "Some girl and Tayuyu got into a fight."

"Focus Blast, Mach!" shouted an angry voice. Yup. Totally Tayuyu.

"Dodge it and use Razor Leaf, Spring!" retorted an unfamiliar voice, equally as unhappy as the red head was.

"Well, why?" asked Tony, confused. "Tayuyu can be a bit Krabby..."

"WHO SAID THAT!" Tayuyu's voice shouted, before ordering Mach to use his Cross Chop.

"...But," continued Tony, awkwardly, "she doesn't pick fights without any reason, and she said she wasn't in the mood to train here earlier." It was true; Tayuyu didn't see any point in fighting the trainers amongst Route 3, dubbing most of them as "newbies" (out of earshot, of course).

"Dunno," said Kirby. "I was napping when it happened. Nice shady tree, right?" he said, quite contented to relax.

"Yeah, I guess..." Tony said, sweatdropping. Weirdo... "Anyway, who is she fighting?" he asked.

"See for yourself," answered Kirby with a shrug. "Never seen her before."

Tony managed to find a spot in the crowd that was mostly made up of short people and managed to catch sight of the two combatants. Tayuyu was facing down a black skinned girl with very dark blue hair, dressed in a usual lass fashion, blue skirt, white shirt, nice little bandana etc. At the girl's feet was a slightly batterd, small green Pokemon, a bright green leaf on its head.

"Never seen one of those before..." Tony muttered. Quick as lightning, his maple syrupy sceneted Pokedex was in his hands.

**"Chikorita, the Leaf Pokemon. This rare Pokemon is available only in Johto, and like Bulbasaur, is a domesticated Pokemon, very rarely found in the wild, though wild Chikorita have been documented. It is a pure Grass Type, and is known to be very fiesty, but loyal to its trainer. The leaf on its head emits a pleasent aroma when happy. However, it is also very dangerous; when removed, it stiffens immedietly, and allows the Chikorita to unleash a deadly move called Razor Leaf. This Pokemon often is found basking in the sun. It is usually given to new trainers as their starter in Johto, and as such is not native to Kanto. All attempts to release wild Chikorita in Kanto by the the esteemed Professor Elm have ended in failure, due to most Kanto Grass Types also being part Poison Type, giving Chikorita a hard time finding basking spots due to its weaknesses against these Pokemon. This specimen is a female who is about twelve years old, and knows the moves Razor Leaf, Reflect, Tackle and Ancient Power."**

"Hey, sweet!" said Tony. "Another Pokemon from Johto!"

The battle was pretty fierce considering that Tayuyu and Mach were facing a first level Pokemon. The Chikorita was very battered, but still up, her eyes filled with anger. "Ri! Ta!"

"Cham!" said Mach with a cock-sure grin.

"Focus Blast again, Mach!" shouted Tayuyu, who was looking as red as her hair.

"Macham!" shouted Mach, placing his hands together. He unleashed a powerful blast of energy at the Chikorita.

"Use Reflect, Spring!" shouted the other girl.

The Chikorita, Spring, created a powerful shiled around herself. The Focus Blast bounced off of the shield, striking the surprised Mach in the face. The Mach toppled to the ground, down but not out. With a growl, the Machamp pulled himself up, steadying himself with his four arms.

"Razor Leaf!" shouted the girl, pointing at the Machamp.

"Chiko!" Spring shouted, spinning the leaf on her head until it snapped off, sailing towards the Machamp. A new leaf sprang from the stem almost immedietly, and it was quickly flung off as well, rapidly firing off the razor sharp leaves.

"Dodge it, Mach!" shouted Tayuyu.

Mach, despite his great size, was no slouch on his feet. He leaped aside, dodging the sharpened leaves, which struck the ground and shattered.

"Use Tackle! Don't let him get away!" shouted the other girl.

Spring growled angrily as she charged at the Machamp, leaping straight for his face.

"Cross Chop, Mach, and make it sting!" shouted Tayuyu.

Mach cross all four of his arms and leaped at Spring, grinning at the Chikorita's shocked expression. With a mighty CRACK! both pairs of arms struck the poor Grass Type, sending her to the ground, knocked out.

"Hah!" Tayuyu said, high-fiving her Pokemon. "Got her!"

"Darn it!" the other girl said. "Alright, fine, you won that round! But I'm not moving yet!" She pulled out another Pokeball from her backpack. "Time for round two!" she shouted. "Go, Atlanta!"

Before she could throw the Pokeball, a voice said, "That's enough!"

And then, Officer Jenny walked into the circle... Wearing a hawaiian flower shirt and carrying a jelly donut in one hand.

...the _heck?_

"What's going on here?" Jenny asked. "I've heard reports of someone not letting anyone go into the Mt. Moon tunnel! And on my day off too! What's going on here!"

"She's the one who's not letting us go into the tunnel!" said Tayuyu, pointing to the girl. "She said that there are Team Rocket agents inside!"

"There are!" the other girl said. "I saw them go inside!"

Officer Jenny looked concerned. "Rockets are in there? Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" said the other girl. "See that truck parked by the entrance? That guy drove them all here!"

Officer Jenny put on her serious face. "Gimme a second, kids," she said, walking over to the truck.

After speaking to the driver for about five minutes, laughing at something he said, and checking his I.D., she came back. "Sorry," she said, shaking her head and taking a bite out of her donut. "His I.D. checks out. He's just a poor truck driver on his way to Pewter with some candy bars, not a Rocket grunt!"

A few kids began to laugh at the girl, but went quiet when she spoke. "But I saw them go in! I swear!"

"Well, what time did you see them go in?" asked Jenny.

"Welll..." the girl said. "It was about dawn..."

"Dawn?" said Jenny, confused. "Why would youi be awake at dawn?"

"I was Pokemon watching!" said the girl. "I wanted to see if I could spot a Clefairy! Besides, the early Pidgey gets the Caterpie!"

"Bree..." Lucky muttered. _Great analogy..._

Jenny sighed. "Look," she said, "You know what I think? I think that you woke up to early in the morning, and thought you saw Rocket gruntas, when it was really just you dreaming."

"That's not it!" the girl said. "Look, I just need to-!"

"Your name?" Jenny said, pulling out a notebook.

"What?"

"What's your name?" Jenny said.

"Oh, uh, Nicole!" the girl said. "Nicole Rogers. But..."

"You have a liecense?"

"Yeah..." Nicole said, pulling out her liecense and letting the woman take a look. "But still..."

Jenny finished scribbling on the paper and pulled it off, slapping the sticky note on the girl's face.

A ticket.

"It's region law that climbing on any Mountain before seven A.M. without a liecense to do so is illegal," said Jenny, biting her donut again. "It's also illegal to obstruct traffic." She placed her notepad in her pocket and finished her donut. "Don't cause any mre trouble, y'hear?" she said through a full mouth.

Nicole's face turned red as the collected trainers began to laugh, including Tayuyu and Tony, all of them unable to contain themselves any longer. Her fingers twitched and her eyes narrowed. The girl was fuming at the police officer.

"Well, I'm off!" Jenny said. "My cousin should still be waiting for me back at the Krispy Kreme (A/N: Coli Chibi doesn't own Krispy Kreme and doesn't want to be sued by them.) "See ya!" Jenny said merrily, walking off.

The crowd, having had their fun, vanished. The trainers who were on their way to Mt. Moon went into the tunnel, heading off to Cerulean, while others went back to the Pokemon Center to get a free boxed lunch.

"Well," said Tayuyu, walking over to Tony and Kirby. "That was fun."

"I guess..." Tony said. He was feeling a bit sorry for Nicole, who was still standing there, the ticket stuck to her face.

Tayuyu's stomach managed to snap him out of his thoughts. "Well, I'm starving!" she said, rubbing her snarling belly. "I'm gonna grab one of those boxed lunches inside, and when I'm done eating we can go!"

"Sounds good," Tony said, "I've already eaten!"

"So have I," said Kirby. "But what about Katie?"

Tayuyu groaned as she saw Katie run by, Jack still keeping her from getting her no doubt now empty boxed lunch. "I have a feeling she'll be ready..."

Kirby yawned. "Well, I'll wait here and catch some Z's," he said. "Have a nice lunch."

Tayuyu nodded and walked off, saying that she'd back soon.

Tony looked over to Nicole. The girl was still fuming there, the ticket on her face.

Tony looked at Lucky and sighed. "Let's go..."

He walked over to Nicole. "Uh..." he muttered.

Nicole slowly peeled the ticket off her face. "Beaten in a battle, humiliated, laughed at, and given a ticket... all in one day..." she seethed.

Tony sweatdropped. "Uh..."

Nicole crumpled the ticket up. "I can't believe no one believed me!" she seethed.

"Well, it is kinda farfetched," Tony said.

"Fetch?" squawked a voice from the tree Kirby was sitting under.

"Not you, Tim!" said Tony. "What I mean is, well, why would Team Rocket go to Mt. oon. The Pokemon there aren't really rare. I mean, sure, Clefairy and Clefable are rare, but they can easily be obtained for a decent fare from the collector's market! Team Rocket wouldn't go to rob a cave of all of its Zubat and Geodude!"

Nicole sighed. "You don't believe me either..." she muttered.

Tony blinked. "Sorry..." he muttered. Trying to cheer her up, he said, "Hey, I noticed you had a Chikorita! That's pretty cool! You know, it's a Johto Pokemon and all."

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Looks, whatever your name is..."

"Oh, I'm Tony, Tony Miller."

"Look, Tony..." She blinked. "Wait a second, I've heard of you..."

"From the paper?" Tony guessed, knowing that's where she had probably heard of him.

"Yeah!" Nicole said. "You're the one who fought off those Rocket grunts from Viridian! How come you didn't want to see if there were any in the cave?" she demanded.

"Well..." Tony said. "It's just..."

"Look, I know that it may seem like I just imagined it, but I did see them!" Nicole said. "There were a bunch of Rocket agents and some wild eyed woman with black hair!"

Tony blinked. "A black haired...? Hey!" he said, grabbing Nicole's shoulders. "Did she talk about how she wanted to stab people?"

"No..." Nicole said, confused. "But she was carrying around a knife and randomly punching her own agents..."

Tony's hand went up to his neck and began to subconciously rub the scar on his neck. "Kayla Reeds..." he muttered.

"_That's_ Kayla Reeds?" said Nicole, surprised. "She's that looney from Hoenn, right?"

"Yeah, that's right!" said Tony. "And if she's in there..." His voice trailed off. A bunch of trainers just walked straight into a cave with a knife wielding degenerate with a love of slitting children's throats.

Hoh boy.

"We have to do something!" Tony said. "Kirby, we have to..."

"...Snore..."

Tony's eyes twitched. "Oh, of all the times for you to fall asleep!" he shouted at the blonde, who was snoozing peacefully under the tree.

Tony sighed. "Let's head back to the center and call Officer Jenny."

"Oh, yeah, 'cause she helped out so much the first time!" said Nicole.

Tony sighed. "Lucky, come on!" he said.

"Bree?" the Butterfree said.

"We have to make sure those other trainers don't get hurt! Come on!" Tony yelled, running towards Mt. Moon.

"Bree? Bree!" Lucky shouted, following her trainer.

Nicole chased after Tony. "Hey, wait up! I wanna help too!"

"Are you sure you don't just want to say 'I told you so' to the trainers?" Tony asked, as they reached the entrance.

Nicole shook her head. "No... Not really."

With a roll of his blue eyes, Tony charged inside the cave.

* * *

><p><strong>HAHAHAHA! Another stab at 4Kids!<strong>

**I mean, whoo...**

**Well, this chapter is finished. We got two new OCs, Kelly and Nicole. Kelly wasn't seen much in this part, but trust me, we'll be seeing more of her in chapters to come.**

**And, yes, Nicole is black (or African American if you'd prefer). Pretty cool to see some diversity in the humans in Pokemon. Uusally everyone is white or just has a tan. Heck, some people actually somehow come from the U.S. in Pokemon, despite the fact that it clearly doesn't actually exist in the Pokemon world (I think.) Well, there is a reason for that, namely due to angry parents online. Anime and Japanese games never seem to show African Americans, and when they do they're usually some kind of sterotype. Heck, there are still people ticked off by Barret from Final Fantasy 7 for clearly being Mr. T with a machine gun hand. A lot of people don't seem to realize that, well, the Japanese have a tendency to laugh off stereotyoes (even Japanese stereotypes, which is evident in Punch Out!) probably don't see many black people who aren't on TV... You know, kinda like how in America all we know about the French is that they're snooty cowards and all we know about the Canadians is that they always say "Eh?". It's not Japan being mean, it's just stereotyping, just like eveyone does. It's not to be mean, it's just what we honestly think they may be like because we haven't met any yet.**

**But I'm getting off track. Besides, in Pokemon Black and White we got to see a Gym Leader who was black (I think), and I haven't heard anyone complain about her (yet), so I think it's a step in the right direction. With any luck, people from differant countires can be potrayed in games without everyone complaining about how it's "racist."**

**So, dear readers, what do you think about this?**


	14. Danger in the Caves

**Last time on Tony's Journey...**

**After arriving at Mt. Moon, Tony met a trainer named Nicole, who was trying to convince everyone that Team Rocket was in Mt. Moon. However, her attempts to save the all were scoffed by all. However, when she told Tony that Kayla Reeds, the psychopath who tried to kill him weeks ago, was in the Mountain, the duo hurried off to stop her from killing those who had already gone in the tunnels!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Kayla Reeds <em>loved <em>her job.

Every bloody, painful, gut wrenching and tear jerking moment of it was _beautiful._ Art... That;'s what it was, art!

And you can't have art without a little pain.

With her usual Cheshire Cat grin cutting across her lips, Kayla shoved a wailing and crying six or seven year old into the arms of two Rocket Agents, who quickly tied and gagged her, adding her to their growing collection of hostages. A few overweight hikers, a few school kids and a few kids who looked like they were just getting out of diapers were huddled in the darkened corner of the cave, sobbing and shaking in fear.

"Alright, alright, next in line!" Kayla said, as a few Rocket Grunts shoved their last hostage over, a young girl who was trembling all over. "And how are you, young lady? Come to make a generous donation, right?"

"P-please!" the girl stammered, clutching the one Pokeball she had. "Not my Oddish!"

Kayla sighed. Some people just weren't willing to contribute to art. Philistines.

"Kiddo," she said, patting the girl on the back with faux sympathy. "Look. It's either your Oddish..." She pulled out a black revolver from her pocket and shoved it in the girl's mouth. "...Or you life. Now, what's it gonna be?"

The girl sobbed as she gave Kayla her Pokeball, closing her eyes and shaking in pure terror.

Kayla pulled her gun out. "Glad you're so understanding," she said, shoving her to the two grunts who were tying up the hostages. "Take good care of her, boys and girls! A couple of hostages might just earn you a bonus that you don't really deserve!"

None of the grunts dared speak back to her as she waltzed out of the room, skipping merrily over to the two scientists. Ivan and Celia were working hard in the tunnel right next to the one that hostages were in, examining a rock wall and looking for signs of fossils, writing down notes in their notepads.

"Heya, eggheads!" Kayla said, startling them both. "Find anything useful yet?"

"We won't if you don't stop shouting like an idiot!" snapped Celia angrily.

"Can't you see we're busy?" asked Ivan impatiently.

"Looking at a wall? Oh, forgive me for interupting such important work," sneered Kayla.

Ivan groaned as he turned his attention back to the wall. "No signs of anything," he said to his wife. "We need to head deeper under the mountain if we want to find any fossils."

"We don't have time!" said Celia. It's only a matter of time before people start to notice that those hostages are missing! They'll come looking for them! Also, our agent at the door reported that a girl saw us go in, and was trying to convince people not to come in!"

Kayla cast an eyes over to the cavern where the hostages were, sobbing their eyes out. "What a fine job she did..."

"If people learn that trainers and travellers are going missing, then they'll call the police," Celia said, worried.

"Great!" Kayla said, clapping her hands. "More bodies for my art!"

"That's not a good thing, you degenerate!" snapped Celia.

"If we don't produce results, Giovanni will have our heads!" Ivan said. "And your's too!" he added, spitefully.

Kayla rolled her eyes. What was it with people being rude to her? Maybe they wanted their throats slit just as much as she wanted to slit them.

Radio static brought Kayla out of her throat slitting little dreams. "This is 93! I'm towards the entrance of the caves and I've spotted two more civilians! A blonde teenage boy with a Butterfree, and a black, blue haired teenage girl! Permission to intercept?"

Ivan pulled up his walkie-talkie. "Follow them, but do not engage!" he ordered. "We can't have anyone getting too suspicious, and according to our agent at the gate, that girl may have seen us before!"

"Roger," 93 told her father. "Over and out."

The line went dead.

"Hmm..." Kayla thought. "Blonde boy with a Butterfree...?"

"Do you think it could be the boy who stopped the Viridian Robbery?" asked Ivan.

"Professor Oak's new assistant?" Celia said. "If he's here... then..."

"Then nothing!" snapped Ivan. "He's just a boy! A child! What can a child accomplish?"

"Oh. You'd be surprised," Kayla said, thoughtfully. "You know, I did my first job when I was thirteen, two years after Mother dearest threw me out."

Ivan ignored Kayla. "Number 93 can easily handle him. She's actually had training, and she knows that failure cannot be permitted."

"My, you seem to know this brat well enough," Kayla said to the brown haired man.

"She's our daughter," said Celia, twirling a lock of silver hair in her finger. "She's had extensive training to preform her tasks perfectly."

"She'll keep her eyes on them!" said Ivan. "Now come on!" he ordered his wife. " Get three grunts to come with us down under. Reeds, you stay here and guard the hostages!"

Kayla saluted. "Javol, mein fuhrer!"

After getting their grunts, and giving Kayla another glare, Ivan and Celia departed, heading down a ladder into the lower levels of the cave.

The moment they were out of earshot, Kayla turned to one of the five remaining grunts. "Well, kiddies, I'm out of here," she said, walking off.

A female grunt stood in her path. "But, ma'am, the scientists-!"

Kayla pulled her gun, shoving it in the girl's stomach. "Look, kiddo. I don't take orders from eggheads, I don't take orders from idiots like you, and heck, I barely can take orders from _me!_ Now, either stand back, or I _paint_ the walls with your _blood_!"

The girl trembled and quickly stood back. "Y-yes ma'am!" she stammered.

Kayla nodded. "I'll be back soon," she said, "so don't look so sad." She looked down the tunnels. "Me and Blondie have some catching up to do. Meh-heh-heh..."

Without another word, Kayla Reeds walked down the caves, her target unaware that she was going to be ready for him.

Kayla smirked.

She _loved_ this job.

* * *

><p>The Mt. Moon caves were a marvel of nature and mankind working together. The caves had formed long before man came to the Mountain, but the tunnels were a maze-like mess. Humans never entered, in fear of being lost forever. Eventually, the caverns were mapped by a team of brave explorers, and it was discovered that one tunnel led all the way to the end of the cave, and to the other side, meaning that you could easily cut the it took to travel from Pewter to Cerulean dramatically. Going around the Mountain could take hours, while it was a short, thirty to forty minute walk through the vaes. Over time, electric lights were placed on the roof of the main path, giving a dim path straight through the mountain. There were also several places were the path branched off, leading to the unlit homes of wild Pokemon. At night, the path was shut down, so Pokemon could safely travel from one tunnel to the other without getting all that bothersome light in thier faces. A good deal of Mt. Moon Pokemon were nocturnal, after all.<p>

Nicole took a deep breath as she and Tony walked down the path, the light from the caves entrance growing dimmer and dimmer. They had been walking down the path for about ten minutes now. They were urgent but trying not to seem urgent. If anything, catching those Rockets off guard would require stealth, and the greatest way to hide your intentions was fiegning ignorance.

"Any sign of them?" she whispered to Tony.

"I don't see them," Tony whispered back, walking along side Lucky. The Butterfree looked very nervous. She had never been a huge fan of dark, enclosed spaces.

"You know..." Tony whispered. "I think it might have been a better idea to at least get my friends to come along. They're Pokemon trainers too."

"Should've thought of that before we went inside the caves..." muttered Nicole. "Besides, we're both trainers! And you've beaten those punks before! We can take 'em!"

"Yeah, but there were only three that time," Tony said. "This time there are gonna be more."

"Well, we don't have to fight all of them at once!" said Nicole. "We can take them on one at a time, conserve our resources and Pokemon's strength!"

Tony nodded. "Right... So, where are they?" he asked. "Did you hear them say which way they were going?"

"Ahh... No..." Nicole said, awkwardly. "They just went in the caves."

"Great."

"Bree."

"Hey, I was high up, okay?" said Nicole. "All I knew was they were up to something! I mean, they're criminals!"

"I know," said Tony, drily. "Well, come on," he said, turning around. "Let's head out! Tayuyu's gonna be mad with me..."

Nicole rolled her eyes. "I guess you're right. We do need some help..."

"Yeah..."

The two sighed as they began to walk away, ready to leave the cave.

"HELP!"

Tony froze. "You hear that?" he asked.

Nicole cupped her ear. "I did!"

"Bree!" Lucky said.

"HEY!" Tony yelled. "Are you okay?"

"Where are you?" yelled Nicole.

"HELP!" the voice repeated. It was a female voice, sounding about sixteen years of age. "Help me! I'm trapped!"

"Calm down!" Nicole shouted. "I need to know where you are!"

"I went down one of the tunnels!" the girl shouted. "When I was climbing down a ladder I fell! My leg is hurt!"

"Which tunnel did you go down!" Tony yelled. There were dozens of caverns in this hallway alone.

"I... I don't know!" the girl shouted back. "I think it was on the right side of the tunnel!"

Tony groaned. "There are like five tunnels on the right side!" he shouted.

Nicole ran over to the nearest tunnel. "How can you hear me?" she shouted. "Do I sound closer or farther away?"

"I don't know!" the girl shouted. "Please hurry!"

"Hey!" Tony shouted. "Look, get your flashlight and keep flashing it! We should be able to see it!"

"I... I don't have a flashlight!" the girl shouted.

Tony blinked. This girl left the well lit path for humans _without_ a flashlight? "What?" he shouted back.

"I... I forgot it!" the girl replied.

"HOW DO YOU FORGET TO BRING A FLASHLIGHT INTO A CAVE?" Tony shouted. Even he had a flashlight in his handy backpack, along with other such emergency supplies.

"Tony!" snapped Nicole. "Calm down! We don't want to traumatize her!"

"I'm sorry!" the girl shouted. "I just..." The voice began sobbing.

"Keep calm!" Nicole said. "We'll go get help!"

"No!" the voice screamed. "Don't leave me! I don't wanna be alone!"

Nicole sighed. "Alright, I'll go and get help, and Tony will stay here!"

The girl's voice sobbed. "Okay..." she said, her voice only faintly heard.

Nicole turned to Tony. "Stay here and make sure she stays awake! If she passes out, we'll have even more trouble finding her!"

Tony nodded. "Got it!" he said. "Now hurry and go!"

"Right!" said Nicole. "I'm going to get help!" she shouted. "Tony will be right here to keep an ear out for you! I'll be back soon!"

"Okay!" the girl shouted. "Please, hurry!"

Nicole turned around and began to run. "We'll be back soon!" she shouted. "Count on it!"

Tony waved as Nicole ran towards the entrance. "Gotcha!" he said. "Don't worry!" he shouted to the girl. "I think Nicole can run pretty fast!"

"Uh... Okay... AIIIIIEEE!"

Tony jumped. "What is it?" he yelled.

"There's a Zubat down here!" the girl screamed. "It's trying to eat me!"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! Zubat don't eat people!"

"He's trying to EAT ME!" the girl shouted.

"Don't you have any Repels?" asked Tony.

"No! I... I forgot those too!"

"Okay, is there anything you didn't foget?" Tony shouted.

"HE'S TRYING TO EAT ME!" the girl screamed again. "HELP! PLEASE!"

Tony sighed. "Look, I don't know which tunnel you're in..."

"Wait!" the girl shouted. "I think I'm in the one fartherst to the right."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT BEFORE!" Tony shouted.

"I couldn't remember!" the girl sobbed.

Tony sighed. "Come on, Lucky," he said, walking to the tunnel on the far right.

"Bree..." Lucky said, her ears stinging from all the yelling.

"Can you hear me better?" shouted Tony.

"Yes, yes I can!" the girl shouted back.

"Alright!" Tony shouted. "I can hear you better too! I'm gonna come down, and shoo the Zubat away, alright?"

"Yes! Hurry! It's drololing on me!"

"Zu-ba!" a high pitched shriek said.

Tony quickly ran down the tunnel and reached the ladder in the back, which led down into a pit, lower into the mountan, where wild Pokemon lived. "Ready?" he asked Lucky.

Lucky shivered, unsure. However, she nodded. "Ree!"

"Good," Tony said, as he began to climb down the thick rope ladder, Lucky flitting underneath him.

But when made it about halfway down, there was trouble.

SNAP!

Tony felt part of the ladder snap. He screamed as he jerked back, his leg getting tangled in some of the thick rope.

"Bree! Bree!" Lucky said, grabbing his wavy blonde hair and trying to pull him up. His backpack slipped off and fell to the floor of the lower tunnel

"Ow! Easy, easy!" Tony complained as the Butterfree tugged on his hair.

The rest of the rope bridge snapped, dropping Tony into the darkness below, the Butterfree still holding onto him. With a grunt Tony hit the floor, gasping as his back hit the hard stone floor.

"Oww!" Tony said, loudly. He picked himself up, rubbing his very, very sore back. He felt around until he grabbed his backpack. "Oww!" he said again, rubbing his bruised back as he opened the backpack with his other hand.

"Bree? Bree ree terree?" Lucky asked.

Tony nodded as he pulled out his flashlight. "I'm fine," he said, thought still in pain. He clicked the light on. "This ladder must've been ancient," he said, looking at it. He blinked as he held up the part of the rope that had snapped. He frowned. The rope didn't look old. It looked like it had been cut...

"Alright," Tony said, getting up. "Let's find that girl." He looked around. "Hey!" he shouted. "Where are you?"

"Down this way!" the answer came.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "How'd you get down there?" he demanded. "You said your leg was hurt!"

"I crawled!" the girl shouted. "The Zubat followed me! Get it away!"

Tony sighed. "The ladder broke!" he shouted. "Look, I'm gonna come and get you! I'll send my Butterfree up to keep her eyes out for my friends!"

"Okay!" the girl shouted. "But hurry!"

Lucky looked worried. "Bree! Bree ter bet!"

"It's okay, girl," Tony promised. "I've got my backpack, and I've got Alph in case anything happens!"

Lucky rolled her eyes. "Bree ree ter!"

"Look," Tony said. "I'm counting on you, okay? I'll take care of... whoever's down there. But I need you to take care of this for me, okay?"

"Bree..." Lucky agreed. She quickly flitted upwards, heading out of the hole that the ladder had hung from.

"Alright," Tony said. "I'm coming to get you, okay!" he shouted.

"Yes! Please hurry!"

Tony sighed as he walked down the path, deeper into the tunnel. He faintly remembered Uncle Brad taking him down into a tunnel like this, but they had bigger lights and more scientists with them. Tony remembered the Kabuto fossil they had found down in such a tunnel, and how Uncle Brad had taken it to be studied by the Professor. He remembered how proud he had felt.

Now he felt frustrated, tired, and a little bit scared.

Tony came to a halt. The tunnel was forking, one path leading to the right and another to the left. He sighed. "Hey!" he shouted. "Which tunnel you go down? It forks!"

There was no answer.

"Hello?" Tony asked, looking around. He began to rub the scar on his neck. He had a bad feeling about this...

A pair of footsteps coming towards him at high speed caught his attention. He turned around to see who it was. His face paled and his eyes widened.

Kayla Reeds was running towards him, a huge grin on her face and a mad glint in her eyes. Without a word she slung her fist into Tony's gut, knocking the wind out of him. She grabbed the dazed boy's arms and tossed him to the stone cold floor. His flashlight clattered to the ground, shining light onto the two humans as they faced each other down.

Tony glared as he slowly stood up, his body in serious pain. "It was you..." he spat. "You were the one calling for help..."

"Oh, that?" Kayla said. "No, no, that wasn't me. I was going to find who was doing it, but then I heard your voice calling back, and decided that you mattered more to me than some screaming little girl who's probably getting her blood drained right now." Kayla smirked as she walked towards the boy. She removed a butterfly knife from her coat pocked, flipping it open with expert skill. "Now," she said, smirking as she grabbed Tony by the collar and held him up. "Where were we last time before those police interrupted us?" she said, placing the knife blade to his neck.

"BREE!"

A violet blurr struck Reeds, throwing her to the ground and causing her to lose grip of her knife. Lucky angrily blasted the merc with agust of Silver Wind, knocking her farther away from the duo.

Tony smiled faintly as he grabbed his flashlight. "Thank goodness you didin't listen to me," he said.

"Bree!" Lucky agreed.

"That was a cheap shot..." Reeds growled, picking herself. She glared at Lucky. "Can't you see that we were in the middle of something _private?"_

Lucky growled right back. "Free!"

Reeds blew a strand of raven hair from her eyes. "Alright," she said. "Fine. Be that way." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of brass knuckles, sliding them onto her fists. "I'll just rip off your wings and have some fun with you too!" she snarled, charging at the duo.

With a grunt, Tony jumped aside, dodging the woman's first punch. However, her second punch struck him in the gut. Tony gasped as he felt the metal spikes tear his clothing and bite into his skin. A thirn punch slung into his gut against. With a gasp, he fell back to the ground. His eyes caught site of a small rock lying on the floor. It wasn't much, seeing as how rocks were pretty much everywhere in this cave, but he had to work with what he had.

He quickly siezed the rock. He flashed his light in Reeds' face, blinding her, and then tossed the rock. it hit her head with a satisfying crack, and she fell back with a grunt.

Tony pulled himself up, and began to crawl away with Lucky's help.

With a laugh, Kayla grabbed his ankle. "Going somewhere?" she asked.

"Yeah! Away from you!" Tony replied, trying to kick her with his free foot.

Lucky angrily attacked the woman from behind, knocking her off Tony.

Kayla growled. "What a rude little bug!" she snapped. "Voltorb, take care of her!" she shouted, pulling a Pokeball and tossing it. A round red and white Pokemon emerged, buzzing angrily at Lucky. If Tony could reach his Pokedex, he'd be sure to scan it and see what it was. However, seeing as how he was trying to escape from a madwoman, he didn't have much of a chance.

Tony pulled free from Reeds' grasp as the Voltorb began to shoot lightning at Lucky. The Butterfree weaved and dodged frantically as she struggled to avoid the attacks.

"Use your Silver Wind, Lucky!" Tony shouted.

Lucky nodded and screamed in rage as she unleashed a gust of powerful wind onto her foe, the silvery powder striking the electric type with fierce power.

"Vol!" the Voltorb gasped as the attack struck him. He angrily buzzed at Lucky, unleashing a powerful Thundershock at her. Lucky dodged and weaved, but the attacks kept coming closer and closer.

Tony was having his own problems. He and Reeds were circling each other, hard and icy glared on each others' faces, waiting to see who made the first move. With a grunt, Tony faked a jump to the left, and then charged at the woman, swinging his fist.

Kayla rolled her eyes as she sidestepped, bashing her fist into Tony. As the boy doubled over in pain, she kicked him in the gut, and then brought her elbow down hard on his back. "You must have a degree in stupidity or something!" she laughed cruelly. "I'm a professional killer with years and _years_ of street experience, and you're just a sweet little boy who's unaware of just how dark and cold the world really is!"

Tony coughed, struggling to stand up. Kayla placed her booted foot on his back, forcing him to the ground again.

"Bree!" Lucky shouted, seeing Tony was in trouble. She charged at Kayla, forgetting about the Voltorb. That was all the electric type needed to take Lucky down, blasting her with one last Thunderbolt. Lucky gave a cry of pain, before falling to the ground.

Lucky!" Tony shouted, swiftly crawling towards her.

Kayla stomped on his back again, driving him to the ground. "Well, well," she said, walking over to the Butterfree. "Looks like I get to show you after all..." She reached down onto the floor, picking up her knife from the ground. "Time to enlighten the uneducated about what the world is really, really like..."

"Leave her alone!" Tony shouted, pulling himself up.

Kayla smirked as she picked up Lucky. The unconcious Butterfree shivered, as if alert to the woman's touch. "Ah. I see we have a strong connection between you, do we?" she said, turning to Tony and holding Lucky. "An invincible chain of friendship..." She placed the knife on the Butterfree's throat. "But, as we all know, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link... and I think I just found yours."

With a grin, Reeds raised the knife, and jabbed it at the Butterfree, Tony charging foward to stop her, a panicked scream shooting from his lips.

* * *

><p><strong>CLIFFHANGER. A FREAKING CLIFFHANGER.<strong>

**Ah, what a jerkwad I am. I give you a long awaited update, and I give you a cliffhanger along with it. How nice. Well, don't worry! next time we not only get to see what happens, we get more Kelly, Nicole and a new OC from Wolfsummoner93! So stay tuned!**

**Now, I have to go and spackle and pain my room...**

**...**

**I think I'll pass, I'd rather play, rely on others in a pinch!**


	15. Out of the frying pan, and into the fire

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony and Nicole went into Mt. Moon, searching for possible hostages. When they found a girl who was supposedly in trouble, Nicole went to go get help, and Tony stayed behind to keep an eye out for trouble. He found trouble alright, with a capital K. Kayla Reeds attacked him, and her Voltorb knocked out Lucky. Now, Tony needs to save his first friend from a psychopath with a knife!**

**What will happen? Find out now!**

**And today's special thanks goes to Wolfsummoner93, for a long awaited and awesome OC! Thanks a ton!**

* * *

><p>Everything was silent in the Mt. Moon tunnels. Two enemies, a hero and a villain, a young boy, and an older female, stared each other down. Something wet and red dripped on the floor.<p>

Tony glared up at Kayla Reeds, Lucky still in her arms and that cruel glint still shining in her eyes. He gave a gaso of agony. Kayla's knife was digging into his shoulder. He had just managed to black the attack with his own body. The wound was pouring blood onto the floor in a steady stream. Tony gasped, collapsing to his knees in pain, the knife still in his shoulder.

Kayla whistled. "Wow," she said, blinking. "You actually, really, honestly and truthfully just took a dagger for your bug."

Tony grunted as he pulled the dagger out, the blood dripping faster and faster. It wasn't a very deep cut, but still hurt.

Kayla kicked the boy onto his back, earning a moan of pain for her effort. "Well, it seems my theory were right!" she said, her lips curling into a smile. "Your weakness is your dear friends..." She leaned over to the boy. "You're so small and insignifigant, that you need to cling to others like a parasite. How sad. Me? I don't need others. I just need by explosives and guns, and I'll be fine. You?" She shook her head. "You need your buddy wuddy little friends. This little bug, the kid with no shoes, AND the little idiot who saw us come in... if you have them, you're set! Ugh," she moaned. "You make me feel sick. I mean, what's it like, having people to follow you around, nagging and bothering you? It's annoying, that's what! And you... you actually _care_ about them! Like there's some kind of reason to give a flying leap!"

Tony groaned in pain as Kayla removed her foot. "You know," she said, shaking her head again, "I actually feel bad for you... I mean, all the people in the world, and the one you take a dagger for is a freaking Butterfree?" She cackled madly. "I mean, it's a bug! A dime a dozen bug! You just took a knife in the shoulder, and massive bloodloss for an insect!" She threw her head back, laughing. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" she shouted. "I mean, that's insane! It's nutty! And the one telling you that, is me! I broke out of an asylum in Hoenn! I'm a renowned criminal wanted for stuff that'd make your hair turn white, and I'm the one who's lecturing you! Crazy world, ain't it?"

Tony glared, raising the knife in his hand.

"Come 'ere," Kayla said, grabbing his arm and placing Lucky on the ground. "Now," she said, forcing the knife towards the Butterfree. "Judging by how badly she has been hurt, I'd say that his buggy is gonna die... and you're the one who's gonna do it."

Tony looked at her, surprised.

"Come on," Kayla said, forcing the boy's arm and the knife towards the poor unsuspecting Lucky. "Think of it as... a mercy killing. That always helps the first time around. If you love something, you need to let it go, right? Well..." she grunted, gritting her teeth and grabbing Tony's arm with other hand. "Let's..." They moved another inch closer. "...let..." Another inch. "...the wee little buggy..." Tony's eyes widened and his hand was shaking. "...GO!"

"NO!" Tony screamed, smashing his head against Kayla's. The woman gave a gasp, her grip loosening on the boy's arms. With a shout, Tony plunged the dagger into Kayla's leg. The woman didn't even scream. She didn't gasp, or pull it out. She simply stood there, staring at the knife.

Tony grabbed Lucky, and ran like heck.

"You stabbed me..." Kayla said, standing up, and pulling the knife out. "Well, so that's how it's gonna be, huh?"

Tony didn't answer. He kept running, and running, and running.

"Alright," Kayla said. "Fine. Keep your Butterfree. Have a nice time with your sad little obsession. Personally, I'll stick with mine: namely, killing people, like _you, _Voltorb!" she shouted to her Electric Type. "Use Thunder and stop him in his track! I'm not letting him get awayt from me a second time!"

"V-voltorb!" said the Voltorb, surprised at the woman's out burst. He unleashed a powerful burst of lightning, narrowly missing Tony. With a grunt and a glare of forboding from Kayla, he fired again, and again, but the boy seemed to

Tony ran through the cave, in the pitch black darkness. Light only came from the Thunder blasts that the Voltorb was firing off at the boy, each attack narrowly missing him. He had left his flashlight back where he had landed, and now he was being chased by a mad-woman and her Pokemon. His feet pounded the cold stone floor as he was chased deeper and deeper into the caves, Lucky still in his arms, slightly charred. He felt the air tingle with electricity as the Voltorb kept blasting at him.

Tony's eyes widened as he ground his feet to a halt. He was standing over a ledge, that led down to a dark, black abyss. No wonder there was no path down here. It was a dead end, and there was no way to tell how deep it was down there, and he wasn't sure if he could take that chance.

"VOL!"

Tony whirled, his face white. The Voltorb was standing not teen feet away, unleashing another blast of Thunder. The blonde screamed as he ducked underneath the blast, losing his balance in the process. Screaming, Tony tumbled off the edge of the cliff, grabbing onto the ledge with his free hand.

Great. You could fall who knows how far down and die, or you could let a madwoman knife you.

Good deal.

Tony didn't get to make the choice himself however. The ledge cracked, then crumbled, and then it gave way. With a scream, Tony fell into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Kayla blinked.<p>

She stared at the spot where the boy had once been. He was gone. Gone. Gone. Forever. He was dead.

And she _wasn't_ the one who did it!

The woman's fists shook as she walked over to the Voltorb, who looked rather proud of himself until he saw his trainer's face.

Kayla stared down at the Electric Type and smiled a very, very forced smile.

Then, she grabbed the Voltorb and threw him to the ground, grabbing a rock from the floor.'

"You stupid, simpering, worthless, ugly, USELESS PIECE OF TRASH!"

The bounty hunter began to beat the Electric Type with the rock, ignoring its shireks of pain. "HE WAS MINE, STUPID! MINE! M TO THE I TO THE N TO THE E! I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT TO PULL HIS PLUG! ME, ME, ME!"

"Vol!" the Voltorb said, terrified as the woman beat him.

"I am going to personally skin you alive and... take whatever organs you might actually have, and I am going to show them to you as you die, so you can see just how angry you've made me!" she shouted.

A very disgusted sounding voice from behind her groaned. "Is that really the best way you can think of to spend your time?"

Kayla froze, slowly turning to see a young, female Rocket Grunt, looking very unhappy, with a flashlight in her hand. "And you are?" asked Kayla, raising an eyebrow.

"Number 93," the girl said. "The one who was calling him... the one who was going to take him down, before you interrupted."

Kayla blow a strand of her raven hair out of her face while grabbing Voltorb's Pokeball from her pocket. "We'll discuss this later," she told the Electric Type venomously. She turned back to 93 and smiled. "Well," she said, "he's out of the way, right? And that's what matters. Besides, this isn't something a grunt should be involved in. These are matters for big people."

93 growled. "I am not a child!" she spat. "And I'm not just a grunt. I'm stronger and better than all of those other kids!"

Kayla blinked, surprised. The kid had some nasty fire inside, that was for sure. She even had her parent's habit of mocking the dangerous asylum escapee without any thought about why she was in the asylum in the first place. Heredity was funny that way.

Kayla forced a smile. "Well, I do seem to recall your parents talking about you," she said, walking around the girl. "Though I can't say you look too tough... I imagined you being a little taller, you know? But, like I told your Egghead Dad, age has nothing to do with skill... Or the willingness to murder people."

"I wasn't going to murder him!" snapped 93. "We're simply taking them hostage until the operation is done."

"Suuuuure we are," Kayla said, taking a step towards the girl. "Don't tell me you're too scared to take a life! After all, you signed up for this job."

"I'm not scared of anything!" snapped 93.

Kayla stepped towards the girl again, raising her hands in self defense. "I never said you were," she said. "You're a big girl. You can handle yourself, right?"

"I can," said 93. "And I don't need your help. I could have taken that kid by myself!"

Kayla nodded. "Hey, kiddo, I'm just as bummed out as you are! That was my kid! My target! I was the one who was gonna pull the plug, but did I? No, he got knocked over a cliff by a lightning bolt. Peh, what a lousy way to go," she said, totally disgusted by the unfairness of it all.

93 pulled out her walkie talkie. "This is 93 to the Professors. Target has been terminated."

"What?" snaped Ivan, his voice cold and harsh. "I told you to follow and observe, not kill him! What were you thinking, you stupid-?"

"It isn't my fault!" retorted 93. "The bounty hunter knocked him off!"

"REEDS!" both Ivan and Celia shouted.

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm not any happier about this than you are-!"

"Shut up!" snapped Celia. "It's one thing to kidnap people, but a murdered boy in a cave is going to garner attention! You've jerpordized this mission!"

"Please, you make this sound like it was all my fault!" snapped Kayla. "Look, you're unhappy, I'm unhappy, unhappiness all around! So I suggest you go and get yourself your stupid little fossils, and then we can leave, because I'm sick of these caves and I am sick of putting up with slimy, disgustiong, worthless eggheads, who are all ASKING FOR ME TO DECAPITATE THEM! SO SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND FIND SOME LOUSY BONES, YOU MORONS!"

Kayla's outburst left the Scientists and their daughter speechless for a second. Finally, Celia said, "Uh, right. Good idea. Let's go to it."

"We need to make sure that no one comes into the caves to look for the lost children," said Ivan. "We'll need a distraction."

"Leave that to me," said Kayla, still fuming. "Just dig up your bones. NOW."

"Leave it to us," said Ivan, cutting the connection.

93 put her walkie talkie. "You're _insane_," she said.

"So they tell me," Kayla said, waving her hand at the girl.

93 growled. Why the boss ever hired this lunatic was beyond her. "Let's get this over with," she said. "Do you have a plan?

"Of course I do," Kayla said, opening her coat. 93 shined her flashlight into the coat, revealing the woman had about a dozen round devices with timers atatched. Explosives.

"You're going to blow up the entrance!" 93 said. "That's insane!"

"No, it's not insane. It's cruel," said Kayla. "There's a difference."

93 growled at the woman. "Fine," she said. "Do you what you want, I couldn't care less."

"Is that so?" said Kayla. "Then I suppose you don't mind if I did this." She grabbed the girl by the shoulders and forced her towards the edge of the the cliff.

"What are you doing?" hissed 93.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Kayla asked. "I'm doing what I want, and you don't care, remember?"

Before 93 could say another word, Kayla shoved her off the cliff. The girl screamed as she followed Tony into the darkness.

Kayla looked down into the abyss and smiled. "Well," she said, "not as fun as I had hoped. But, at least I get to fire these babies up." She pulled out one of the charges and strode happily to the entrance of the cave, ready to destroy the police's only way to get in.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, while Tony and 93 fell, another trainer was hard at work in the upper caves.<p>

A bright light lit up the small cave he was in, as he hammered and chiseled away at the wall, revealing more and more of the fossilized Pokemon benath the rock wall. A Pikachu laid on the ground beside him, napping lazily as his trainer dug away at the wall.

Tobias Mizuki wiped some sweat off of his brow, before returning to digging. The teenage genuis was hard at work, chisilling away thousands of years worth of dirt to get to his prize. A rare Kabuto fossil.

Tobias gritted his teeth as he carefully chipped away at the ancient earth surrounding the fossil, holding his hard-sought treasure in place. With careful chips, more earth and stone crumbled away. With a sweaty brow, and a heart that was beating faster and faster, he removed the rock from its resting place and slowly lowered it down to the guaze he had laid out below. He licked his lips nervously as he placed the ancient rock onto the gauze.

He gave abreath of relief as he wrapped the fossil up. "Hah!" he laughed. "Got it!"

"...Chu..."

Tobias looked down at his faithful Pikachu, Phantom. The Pikachu looked pretty unhappy about being woken up.

"Oh, what?" Tobias said. "You know, you were supposed to be on lookout duty, and I let you nap, so no complaints from you, pal!" Tobias said, pulling a hankerchief from his chest pocket and wiping his hands off with it.

Phantom yawned, scratched behind his ear, and then got up. He leaped onto Tobias' leg and scrambled up his body, sitting on his shoulder.

Tobias placed the fossil into his backpack. "Oh, man," he told the Pikachu. "She's gonna love this!"

"Chu!" Phantom said, with a nod.

Tobias stretched his sore back, rubbing it with his arms. "Alright, let's head out," he said. "I want to get to Cerulean post haste. Let's head outside the mountain!"

"Pika!" Phantom said, his call echoing through the cave.

"What was that?" a voice said, sounding like it was a small distance away.

Tobias blinked as he heard rapid footsteps heading towards him. His legs shook, wondering who on earth it could be.

He decided to chose flight over fight; whoever was coming didn;t sound friendly, and it could be a fossil hunter who was willing to attack others for their fossils. Tobias quickly ducked behind one of the large stalagmites that stuck out in the room, holding still and not saying a word. He slapped his hand over Phantom's mouth to keep him silent as well. He peered out from behind the rock, keeping silent.

A unfriendly looking man, with silvery hair, a lab coat and a scowl on his face, entered the room, followed by a woman with a similar coat, who looked very flustered. Follow them were a duo of young looking teenagers wearing black suits, with large Rs on the front.

Tobias froze. "Team Rocket," he whispered.

"Chu!" said Phantom's his voice muffled by Tobias' hand.

"I thought I heard someone," the man growled, looking around, searching the room with his flashlight.

The woman looked equally unhappy. "I don't see any... wait!" she said, pointing her own flashlight beam to the wall. "Look! Someone's been digging here!"

The man looked at the hole as Tobias winced. "You're right... Looks like someone dug something out of this."

"Could it have been a fossil?" asked the woman.

"It's our best guess," said the man. He turned to the two grunts. "Search the area!" he ordered. "Find whoever dug that fossil out! Whatever it is, I want it!"

Tobias swallowed, adjusting his glasses. "Alright, Phantom," he whispered. "Let's..."

He paused, looking down into his empty arms. Phantom was gone.

"Pika!"

Tobias peekd out from behind the spiked rock. Phantom was down on all fours, growling at the Rockets.

"What is that?" asked one of the grunts.

"It's a Pikachu..." the woman said, sounding confused.

"Pikachu aren't native to Mt. Moon..." muttered the man. "Why would...?"

"CHU!" Phantom shouted, zapping the crooks with a Thundershock attack. The Rockets squealed as they were fried by the attack.

Tobias chuckled sheepishly as he ran out, grabbing the still angry Pikachu. "Sorry, this guy is mine, gotta go, seeya!" he shouted rapidly, running past the paralyzed Rockets.

"After him!" shouted the man, recovering from the attack.

Tobias groaned as she shot down the cave, the Rockets in pursuit.

"Oh, this is just like fourth grade all over again!"

"Pika..."

"Quiet you!"

* * *

><p><strong>It's a cliffhanger, it's a cliffhanger, HAHAHAHA, you got owned!<strong>

**Hehe, sorry guys, I had to cut this chapter short. Home renovations and football parties are taking a lot of my time. I promise my next chapter will be longer, so stay tuned!**

**Oh, by the way. GO TO AND WATCH USAGI DROP! NOW! Seriously, it is the cutest anime ever! GO! WATCH IT!**


	16. We'll always have Paras!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Kayla Reeds nearly killed Tony, but he escaped, only to fall down a cliff in the caves. Reeds, angered that she had lost her chance to finish the boy herself, tossed Rocket Grunt 93, AKA Kelly Rhodes, down the cliff as well, just because she was bored, really. Meanwhile, a nerdy trainer named Tobias discovered a fossil in the caves, only to be seen by Team Rocket. Now, he runs through the caves, trying to escape the criminals.**

**What will happen? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>It's said that when one is in anear death experience, their life flashes before their eyes. Every event, every happy memory, every depressing moment, everything comes back and slaps you in the face.<p>

As he plunged into the darkness, Tony felt this experience first hand. He saw his earliest memories as a baby, crawling around the penthouse. He saw his mom driving away when she left him at his Aunt and Uncle's for the first time. He saw the day he met Lucky as a Caterpie, and the day Professor Oak helped save her from a bad case of indigistion. He saw his Uncle teaching him to ride a bike, his first fishing trip with Pappy, and learning the fundementals of Magikarp, the day his Mother left his life forever, taking dancing lessons with his Aunt, and eventually starting to work for the Professor. All in an instant, it shot before his eyes.

Then, he hit the ground.

Gravel and loose stone dug into his knuckles as he slid down the steep slope in the darkness. The sharp stones scratched at his arms, cutting them badly. But Tony didn't scream. If he screamed, Reeds would hear him, and come looking for him again. That was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. So, he endured the pain and allowed himself to slide down the slope, Lucky held tightly in his arms.

Tony felt a scream build up when he was launched off of the slope, reaching the end and sailing off into the darkness. He twisted his body so that his back was facing the ground. If he had to die, at least Lucky could live on. Thankfully for our hero, he was not greeted with smashing his body against the stone and hearing the crunch of his spine breaking, but with a sudden and surprising spash into cold water, and hearing the rushing stream as he carried him down through the mountain's lower caves.

With a gasp, Tony broke above the surface. He had lost his flashlight up with Kayla, and now he was riding blindly on a wild rapid ride. Holding Lucky tightly in his left arm, he used his right arm to grab his backpack and pull it off his back. Grabbing the handle with his gritted teeth, he quickly opened the backpack and grabbed one of his emergency glowsticks, bending it with his fingers. A green light shined from within, allowing Tony to see what was going on. His eyes quickly caught sight of a stony shore, a very short distance away. Even better, he could see another tunnel there, likely a passage that would allow him to go higher into the mountain's caves. The question was, how could he get there?

Tony placed the glowstick into his left hand, right next to Lucky, and reached down into the bag again, pulling out Alph's shiny red Pokemon. He opened the Pokemon, and Alph appeared on his head, clearly unsure of what in sam-heck was going on.

"MALPH!" Tony said, his backpack's strap still in his mouth. "Youpth godda soot sompth webbing!"

Alph made a confused, "Raaaak?" He had no idea what the boy was saying.

Tony spat the backpack out of his mouth, grabbing it with his right hand. "SHOOT SOME WEBBING!" he shouted. "Get us to shore!" he said, pointing to the shore.

Alph, having superb night vision, caught sight of the shore easily. He quickly spat out a glob of webbing, which stuck fast to the stone floor. Tony wrapped his right arms with the webbing and pulled them to the shore, kicking his legs to help propel them.

After about five agonizing minutes of trying, he managed to pull himself to the shallow waters. "Thanks Alph," he said, gasping for breath. Then, he turned his attention to Lucky, placing her daintily to the ground. "She's alive..." he said. "Just out cold." He pulled out Lucky's Pokeball and returned her to it. "Sorry, girl," he whispered. "I'll get us out of this, I promise."

Tony placed the Pokeball back into his backpack, and then gave a sigh as he laid down face first in the water. He felt tired. Very tired. Too tired to move. The water felt good against his cut skin.

Water splashed against his face. He opened his blue eyes to see a Magikarp staring at him, flopping around in the shallow waters. The little guy had gotten curious to who the stranger was in the river, and swam closer to investigate, likely getting trapped in the shallow water.

Tony looked at the fish, remembering his Pappy talking about how great Magikarp were. A Pappy he might never see again if he didn't get moving.

Tony stood up, grabbing the Magikarp and gently placing him in deeper water. "Here ya go, little guy."

The Magikarp swam off, giving a splash of gratitude.

Tony pulled off his blood and water-soaked shirt and grabbed his backpack, pulling out a can of spray. It was in his first aid kit, and it sealed and disinfected wounds and cuts. The only problem was boy, did it sting. However, a little pain now, is better than slowly bleeding to death.

Tony sprayed on the spray and _boy, _did it sting! After a few more spritzes and holding back his screams of pain, Tony finally put the spray back and put on his shirt. He looked down at Alph. The little Spinarak had better vision than he did, even with his glowstick. "I'm gonna be needing your help," he said to the Spider Pokemon. "You ready?"

"Rak..." said Alph, not too sure.

"Alright," Tony said. "Let's go. I want to get out of here!"

Tony grabbed his glowstick and backpack and followed Alph. However, they hadn't even gotten to the tunnel when someone shouted, "HELP!"

* * *

><p>Kelly Rhodes was never one for swimming.<p>

She disliked getting wet, she disliked fish, and she really hated trying to swim with a hurt leg.

That maniac Reeds had the nerve to throw her down a cliff. She landed on her leg, and badly twisted her ankle. One very, very painful slide down led to a freezing cold river below. Now, she was back where she started. Shouting "HELP! HELP ME!" at the top of her lungs, as she struggled to stay afloat.

"HELP!" she screamed.

"HEY!"

Kelly nearly fainted. It couldn't be, but it was. Tony Miller, the boy who opposed the Rockets, was standing at the shore of the river, with a glowstick in one hand. _He's still alive?_ Kelly thought, shocked. Still, this was her chance to escape.

She opened her mouth, but then stopped. She was wearing her Rocket uniform. If he noticed, she'd be majorly in trouble.

She quickly ducked underneath the water, and ripped her facemask off, then her hat, and then her Rocket shirt, leaving her in her white undershirt and her black skirt.

After taking off her gear, Kelly emerged from the water. "HELP! OVER HERE!" she shouted, waving at Tony.

Tony quickly spotted her. "Alph! Use String Shot!" he shouted, pointing at Kelly.

A thick strand of gooey webbing hit Kelly right in the face. The girl fought the urge to gag as she was pulled face first to the rocky shore.

Tony grabbed the girl's hand. "You okay?" he asked.

Kelly pulled her arm away. "I'm fine!" she snapped, not in the mood to deal with him. She tried walking away, but quickly fell to the ground. She screamed and clutched her twisted ankle.

"Oh, man," Tony said. "Here, let me see that..."

"Are you a doctor?" snapped Kelly.

"Well, no..." said Tony. "But unless you have a medical degree, I'd suggest you let me take a look!"

Kelly folded her arms and frowned, as Tony looked at her swelling ankle. "Ohh..." Tony said. "This doesn't look good. You need to see a doctor."

Kelly glared at Tony. "Brilliant observation, Holmes."

"HEY!" Tony snapped. "It's your fault we're in this mess, so I'd pipe down!"

"M-my fault?" said Kelly, surprised. _Does he know I'm a Rocket?_

"If you weren't running around the caves without a flashlight or anyone to help you, then I wouldn't have to stop and save you, and that looney would have never thrown me off a cliff!"

Kelly felt a burst of relief well up inside, but she wasn't one to take an insult sitting down. "Well, if you had saved me faster, maybe she wouldn't have managed to catch you!" she snapped.

"Whatever," Tony said. "How'd you get down here, anyway?"

Kelly quickly wrote a lie in her head. "I was crawling away from where I was to escape the Zubat, when that freak with the black hair found me. She threw me off the cliff for whatever nutty reason."

"Yeah, that's Kayla for you..." muttered Tony.

Kelly groaned in pain as Tony finished taking a look at her leg. "Looks like a twisted ankle..." he muttered.

"Ya think?" snapped Kelly.

Tony chose to ignore the comment. "Alph," he said, turning to the small green Pokemon on the floor. "You think you can wrap her leg up? You know, like a cast?"

The Spinarak shrugged with all six arms, before crawling onto Kelly's leg. She winced as the Spider Pokemon crawled around and around, leaving thick webbing as he went, until her leg was completely bandaged.

"Great job!" Tony said to the Spinarak.

"Wow," said Kelly. "A Spinarak... They're pretty rare in Kanto, you know..."

"Yeah," Tony said, patting Alph on the head, being careful of the horn. "He is pretty rare, isn't he?"

"Yeah..." Kelly said, deep in thought. _How much could a Spinarak go for on the black market? Heck, it's not a bad Pokemon. It could be useful to us Rockets. Who knows how many ways we could use that String Shot of his?_

"Um, hello?"

Kelly blinked. Tony was looking at her oddly. "Are you okay? You kinda spaced out there."

Kelly nodded. "I'm fine!" she said. "Let's just get out of here!" She tried to stand, but ended up falling over, unable to walk due to her injury.

Tony sighed. "Guess I have to carry you," he said.

"Guess so," Kelly retorted, climbing as best she could onto Tony's back. "Now get moving!" she shouted, now piggybacking on the boy. "Let's put some distance between us and that creep... _And watch where you put your hands!"_

Tony groaned as he followed Alph through the tunnel, the girl perched on his back. This was going to be a _long_ hike.

* * *

><p>Every step felt painful and exhausting. Every breath felt like a chore. Her back felt like it had a million pounds on the top. The entrance to the cave grew larger and larger, the light growing brighter and brighter as she neared her destination.<p>

Nicole felt her lungs burning, and her feet ached. Her skin was coated in sweat, and her dark blue haired glistened with it as well. But still she kept going That girl was in trouble, and with those Rockets nearby too. She had to hurry if she wanted to save her. Not that Tony couldn't handle himself. He had taken the Rockets before, after all.

Nicole gasped, breathing for the fresh outdoor air. The summer breeze felt and tasted great when compared to the musty cave air. But she didn't have time to enjoy it. She had to find help, before it was too late.

She quickly caught sight of that redhead who beat her before. She was walking around angrily, searching for someone. Probably Tony.

Nicole felt a tinge of anger at the prospect of asking that hot headed jerk for help. But with lives at stake she couldn't refuse. Swallowing her pride, she walked calmly over the the redhead.

Tayuyu was standing over the blonde kid with no shoes, who was leaning against a tree. "...Well he had to go somewhere! Why weren't you watching him?"

Kirby yawned. "I was tired. All that walking we did really can take it out of you. Besides, Tony can take care of himself."

"Sure he can," said Tayuyu. "And I'm Lorelli of the Elite 4."

Nicole sighed. "Excuse me," she said, catching their attention.

"Oh," Tayuyu said. "It's you. What do you want?"

Nicole ignored the rude tone of the girl's voice. "I know where Tony is," she said.

Kirby sighed and Tayuyu folded her arms. "Well, this ought to be good."

Nicole sighed, and then spoke, "I told Tony that I saw a psychotic maniac who tried to kill him before in the caves, with the Rockets, and he went to go see if it was ture with me and then we heard this girl calling for help and that she was lost and she had hurt her leg and couldn't move so I went to go get help from you guys while he stayed behind to make sure she stayed awake and now I'm here..." She paused and took a few quick breathes. "...To ask for your help, so we can save the girl, so we can..."

Tayuyu groaned. "Of course," she said. "I've known this kid for only about two weeks, and I already know that he'd do something like that," she complained, rubbing her eyes. She looked at Nicole. "How do we know you're telling the truth?" she demanded.

Nicole growled. "Would I have run all the way through the cave _without_ a break to tell you a lie?" she asked, angrily.

"Well, you are the one running around and telling people that there are Rockets in the cave!" Tayuyu said. "Y'know, just because people wear black doesn't mean that they're automatically evil!"

Nicole turned red. "Fine!" she said. "I'll just go and get someone else to help! Then I can tell Tony that you two decided to let him die in the caves!"

Kirby sighed. "I'll go," he said.

"What?" both girls said in unison.

"Well, we are both older than Tony," Kirby said. "We're responsible for him, Yuyu. Besides, I'd hate to make his Aunt worry."

Tayuyu groaned. "You little kiss-up..." She sighed. "Alright, I'm coming too. I'm in charge of him after all."

"Great!" Nicole said. "Now you'll see!"

"Sure I will," Tayuyu said, sarcastically.

"What about Katie?" asked Kirby.

Tayuyu turned to see Katie. The red head had finally managed to capture her Eevee and get her lunchbox back. Snickering weakly, she turned it over to reveal that it was empty.

"Oh... DARN IT ALL, JACK!" Katie shouted at the Eevee. "That was my lunch! I can't hike through the caves on an empty stomach!"

The Eevee winced, stepping back and grinning nervously.

Katie growled as pulled Alph's Pokeball, returning him. "Grr... Now I have to go into the Center and get another lunch!" she complained.

"Hey, Katie!"

Katie turned to see Tayuyu waving at her. "What is it?" Katie asked.

"Tony's in the caves!" Tayuyu said. "Kirby and I are going to go find him!"

"Okay!" Katie shouted. "I'm gonna eat my lunch without any greedy Eevee's around!"

"Alright! Stay out of trouble!" Tayuyu shouted. She turned back to the two other trainers. "Alright," she said, giving Nicole a glare. "Let's get this over with."

Nicole nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>"Oww! DARN IT!"<p>

"You know, this wouldn't have happened if you wore shoes."

"I don't like shoes. Sue me."

Nicole felt a tinge of fear enter her heart. These two were the ones she could count on to be mature and help save the girl? _These two? _She had been hoping for some more serious minded people. _These_ two were like a bickering married couple. Plus, that Tayuyu girl bugged her. All high and might and up in your face, just because she had more badges than she did.

Jerk.

"Well, don't you have anything to put on your feet?"

"I have sandles..."

"A fat lot of help they'll be when you're hiking..."

Nicole rolled her eyes. "This is gonna be a long hike..."

"No," a voice said. "I have a feeling this'll be _pretty_ short."

The three children froze. Kirby's eyes lit up, recognizing the voice. They slowly turned to see Kayla Reeds, leaning against the wall of the cave. Her black jacket nearly made her invisible, and her eyes were filled with malice.

"Reeds!" snapped Kirby. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, if isn't the shoeless kid!" Kayla said. "Here to find your buddy, ain't ya?"

"What did you do to Tony?" demanded Nicole.

"Oh, I'm afraid Tony's taken a long walk off a short cliff," Kayla said. "He shall be missed dearly."

"You're lying!" Kirby snapped.

"Hey, kiddo, I'm not any happier about this than you are!" Kayla retorted. "I wanted to finish him nice and slow, but did I get that? No!"

Kirby pulled out Taka's Pokeball. "Last chance," he snapped. "Where's Tony?"

Kayla pulled out her own Pokeballs. "If you want to see him so much..." she hissed. "I'll send you on your way! Clefairy! Voltorb! Get out here!" she shouted, tossing the two Pokeballs.

A very badly bruised Voltorb and a very frightened looking Clefairy emerged from the balls.

"Sic those brats!" Kayla shouted. She glared down at Voltorb. "And this this time _no mistakes_!"

"V-vol..." Voltorb said, turning to the kids.

Nicole was surprised to see the Clefairy. "Wow, that's a rare Pokemon..." she muttered.

"I know, right?" Kayla said. "Found the little shmuck digging through our supplies. Usually I don't use Pokemon that don't explode or emit poisonous fumes, but I decided to make an exception."

"Um, if you're done discussing Pokemon with the dangerous _wanted asylum escapee_, we really need to get fighting!" Kirby said.

"Right, sorry," said Nicole, pulling her own Pokeball out. "Go, Atlanta!" she shouted.

A sleek looking Vaporeon appeared with a quuiet "Por..." She looked much more patient and controlled than Josh's Vaporeon had.

"Go, Taka!" shouted Kirby. The Pidgeotto appeared in a flash, landing on the ground. She looked up at the roof and made a sour face. She hated caves. There's way too little room to fly.

"My turn!" Tayuyu said. "Go get 'em, Blaze!" she shouted.

The Charizard emerged, roaring and breathing a huge burst of fire.

"Alright," Tayuyu said. "Kirby, you and me will take Voltorb! Nicole, you take the... Nicole?"

Nicole peered out from behind the rock she was hiding behind. The girl was shaking in terror, and her face was very pale. "Uh... right, I'll take the Clefairy then..."

"USE THUNDER!" shouted Kayla, surprising the kids. Voltorb's body glowed brightly before unleashing a burst of electricity at the Pokemon. Taka and Atlanta managed to dive away, but Blaze took the full hit. The Charizard was blasted back, but got back up, her eyes filled with fury.

"Use Flamethrower, Blaze!" shouted Tayuyu.

"CHAR!" Blaze shouted, unleashing a powerful, searing burst of pure fire. The attack struck the Voltorb full force, knocking him down.

"Alright!" said Tayuyu. "Looks like he's down!" And he was. The Voltorb laid motionless on the ground, its injuries from before too intense to allow it to continue.

Kayla gave a angry shout. "YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF JUNK!" she screamed, kicking the Voltorb against the wall. "You've screwed up for the last time!"

"Hey!" Nicole said, peeking from the rock. "You can't treat your Pokemon that way!"

"Pokemon Shmokemon!" retorted Kayla. "Clefairy!" she shouted, scaring the pink Pokemon. "You'd better do better than he did! Now use Metronome, and MAKE. IT. GOOD!"

Clefairy shivered under the woman's glare. "Cle... cle fairy!" she said, activating her Metronome.

"Look out!" shouted Tayuyu as Clefairy charged at Blaze. "Metronome randomly choses and attack! It could be as strong as a Hyper Beam or as weak as a-!"

Clefairy leaped at the Charizard... and flopped in the air uselessly.

"...Splash..." finished Tayuyu, surprised.

The Clefairy landed in front of Charizard, looking up at the Fire Type nervously.

Blaze rolled her eyes and knocked the Clefairy over with her foot.

"Hah!" Kirby said. "Beat you again!"

Kayla scowled, kicking the still awale Clefairy harshly. "STUPID STUPID STUPID!" she screamed as she beat the poor creature.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" shouted Nicole. "Use Water Gun, Atlanta!"

"Vapor!" said Atlanta, harsh but quiet. She leaped towards Kayla and fired of a strong burst of pure water, right into the gun for hire's face.

Kayla spluttered in surprise, falling over as the burst of water struck her face. She spat out a mouthful of water, glaring at the Vaporeon. "Well," she hissed, "we tried doing things your way, but now we're gonna do things my way!" She pulled out a remote control from her coat pocket, raising it and clicking the button. Several red lights appeared on the walls and ceiling.

"Are those what I thin they are?" asked Tayuyu, paling.

"If you're thinking 'explosives' then, yes, they are exactly what you think they are!" said Kayla, turning and running away. "Adios, suckers!" she called as the lights began to blink faster and faster.

"RUN!" shouted Nicole, grabbing the poor Clefairy and Voltorb in her arms.

The kids and their Pokemon quickly ran away, making it about ten feet away when with a massive KA-BOOM! the charges went off a massive fireball erupted, destroying the entrance and following the kids down the cave.

"TAKA!" Kirby shouted. "MIRROR MOVE!"

Thankfully, Taka managed to hear the boy, her ears still ringing from the explosion. She turned around and raised her wings, creating a powerful force field. The explosion hit it head on, but quickly backfired. Taka screeched in pain as she struggled to keep the force of the explosion back. Finally, the Pidgeotto managed to deflect the explosion. She collapses to the ground, singed but alive.

"Taka!" Kirby shouted. "Are you okay?"

"Pidgey..." Taka muttered, smiling weakly.

Kirby pulled out her Pokeball. "Take a rest," he said, returning her.

"Oww..." muttered Nicole, rubbing hear ears.

"They seem so much quieter in movies..." complained Kirby, agreeing with the red head.

"Guys! Help!"

The two turned to see Nicole, bent over the two badly hurt Pokemon. She was pulling her first aid kit from her backpack. "These poor Pokemon..." she said somberly. "I can't imagine how awful it must be, having to live with that maniac!"

Tayuyu blinked. "That was Kayla Reeds," she murmered.

"Um, yeah, we already confirmed that," Kirby said.

"No, I know that, it's just that... THAT WAS KAYLA REEDS!" she shouted. "We just were facing down a psychopath! Why is she in Kanto, why was she blowing up the cave's entrance, what's going on!" she said. "We were nearly just _murdered!"_

"I know!" said Nicole. "Calm down and help me!"

"Oh, you're on to talk!" said Tayuyu. "You just freaked out during that battle and hid behind a rock! What was that about, huh?"

Nicole looked away and muttered something very quietly.

"What was that?" demanded Tayuyu.

"I'm afraid of fire..." muttered Nicole.

Tayuyu blinked. "What, did you think I'd send Blaze to roast you?"

"No, it's just... well, whenever I see fire, I freak out! It scares me! I have to go and get behind something, or dive into a lake..." Nicole shook her head. "Nevermind that! Help me with these two!" She pulled out two potions and a roll of fresh gauze from her backpack. She slowly began to wrap the gauze around the Clefairy's arm. "It's okay," she whispered to the frightened Normal Type. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

The Clefairy winced as the girl tightened the guzze, but didn't seem afraid anymore.

"Here," said Kirby. "Let me help Voltorb." He gave the Electric Type some medicine, before wrapping him up with gauze, no simple feat considering Voltorb's round shape. The Electric Type made a humming sigh as he was wrapped up from top to bottom.

"Alright, these two are okay," said Nicole, grabbing the Clefairy and holding her in her arms.

"Yeah, but what about Tony?" asked Kirby.

"..." Tayuyu was silent for a second, before answering, "We've got to find him."

"But isn't he... You know?" Nicole said, sadly.

"Maybe," said Tayuyu, "but I'm responsible for that kid. I need to be sure." She looked down at Nicole. "Show me where you two were standing. We should be able to find a clue!"

"But what about the entrance to the cave?" asked Kirby.

"Don't worry," said Tayuyu. "I'm sure the police will be able to think of a way to fix it." She turned around and began to march down the cave. "Come on! Let's find Tony!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, outside, the police were completely incapable of thinking of a way to fix it.<p>

Officer Jenny, still not in uniform, was pacing back and forth, her eyes filled with panic. "Ohmygoshomygoshohmygosh! What am I going to _do?" _The trainers and travellers were panicking too. The entrance to Mt. Moon had just exploded after all. To make matters worse, the Pokemon Center had been getting calls. Apparently, no one was making it out from the other side of the cave. Whispers were whirling around the group, rumors being exchanged like currency.

"Was it an earthquake?"

"No way, it was an explosion! I saw it with my own two eyes!"

"You think that girl was right? Do you think it's the Rocket Gang?"

"I hope not..."

"My big sister just went into those caves!"

"We need to call the police!"

But in all the panic, all the chaos and disorder that filled the crowd, there was one level headed voice of reason. One girl with a plan to save her friends.

Katie, a lunchbox half finished in her hands, and a determined look on her face.

She quickly pulled out her cell-phone, dialing a quick number in.

"Hey! I need a favor, so get over here pronto! ... No I am in jail again, just hurry! And bring your digger! Mt. Moon tunnel's entrance just collapsed, and my friends were still inside! ...Okay! Okay, you do that! Hurry, Brock!" She closed her cell phone and stared at the caves, adamently.

"Looks like it's my turn to save the day! And without a full lunch too!"

* * *

><p>"Could you possibly go any <em>slower?"<em>

"Don't tempt me."

Kelly Rhodes rolled her eyes as Tony carried her up the steep cave path. She was holding his glowstick for light, and Alph had shot a strand of webbing onto Tony;s shirt, so they wouldn't get seperated. "I'm just saying," she complained, "that evening is coming and we're still trapped inside this stupid cave! Pick up the pace!"

"Please forgive me if I don't want to take advice from the girl who waltzes into a cave _without_ a flashlight!" Tony retorted angrily.

"Well, it's your fault that thaty maniac is throwing people off of cliffs!" Kelly shot back.

"It's your fault she threw me off a cliff in the first place!" Tony defended.

Alph rolled his eyes. These two are just being plain stupid. Still, the Tall One was his trainer (supposedly) and he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in these caves either. He kinda had growned fond of that Pokemon food that the Tall One always gave him.

Alph's eyes widened when he saw a clearing up ahead. A large round room in the ancient caves. He quickly gave a chitter, pulling Tony and Kelly foward, stopping their arguing.

"Hey, great job Alph!" Tony said. He looked around. "This looks like a good place to take a break."

Alph nodded, his stomach growling.

"A break?" asked Kelly. "Are you serious? We don't need a break, we need to get out of here!"

"My legs are killing me!" complained Tony. "I'm the one doing all the hard work, remember?"

"Oh, fine!" snapped Kelly. "Take your stupid break! When we starve to death and eventually our bodies are found, I'll leave anote saying it's your fault!"

"Fine!" Tony said, placing the girl on the floor and then sitting down himself.

"Fine!" snapped Kelly right back.

The two sat there, their arms folded, and faces filled with anger.

"Rakk?"

"Oh, right," Tony said. "Sorry, Alph." He reached into his backpack and pulled out a can of Pokemon food. "Here ya go, dig in."

The Spinarak gleefully did so.

"Any foor for human beings?" asked Kelly, hungry.

Tony sighed, knowing that he had to share. "I have a few sandwiches that I rolled in plastic wrapp, just to be safe. You want cheese or egg salad?"

"Either or. I don't care," Kelly said.

"Here you go," said Tony, giving her the cheese, before unwrapping the egg salad sandwich.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, before Tony spoke again.

"Look... I'm sorry..."

"What?" Kelly asked, surprised.

"It's not your fault Kayla tried to kill me," Tony explained. "She would have tried to kill me anyway. Heck, I'm lucky I got knocked off that cliff. Got me away from her."

Kelly frowned. "Well, that still doesn't get us out of this situation," she said.

"True..." Tony said. "But it could be worse. I could be stranded down here with a Rocket Grunt!"

Kelly forced a smile. "That would be awful, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," Tony said, completely unaware that he was. "It would be. We could also be out of food," he said, chewing the sandwich some more. "Or out of water," he added, pulling out a cantten and taking a sip, before ofering it to Kelly. "Drink some. You need to keep up your strength."

Kelly shook her head. "You'r the one carrying me," she stated.

Before Tony could offer again, he heard Alph scream "Raaak!"

He quickly whirled around to see Alph chasing after his can of Pokemon food. It was being carried away by.. a mushroom with legs?

Tony's mind lit up. "It's a Paras!" he said.

Sure enough, a small, orange and red Bug Pokemon was carrying the Pokemon food in his claws, running away from the angry and hungry Spinarak. "PARASSSSSSS!"

Tony flipped out his Pokedex in an instant. **"Paras," **the robotic voice said. **"The Mushroom Pokemon. Fossil Records show that this Pokemon once lived above ground, but because it was easy prey to Flying Types such as Pidgeotto and Fearow, it eventually moved underground, where it has few natural predators, and is capable of easily accessing its favorite food, tree sap, which it drains from tree roots. Paras is a marvel of nature, as its body is specially designed to sustain the mushrooms that they grow on their backs, called tochukaso. The Pokemon and its fungi live in symbiosis: The Pokemon gets water and poisonous spores to defend itself from the mushrooms, and the tochukaso in turn gets a host who will transport it to places with moisture and darkness, along with more defense from predators that eat them, as Paras will defend its mushrooms to its last breath. This specimen is a male, roughly nine years old and knows the moves Scratch, Spore, Stun Spore and Leech Life. Its special ability is Dry Skin."**

"Alright, a Bug Pokemon!" Tony cheered, the melencholy of the situation forgotten.

"Wait a second, you're supposed to be some kind of Bug Expert, right?" asked Kelly. "Why'd you need to pull out your Pokedex?"

Tony grinned sheepishly. "I guess I just really like hearing its voice!"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Just catch the darn thing so we can get a move on," she said, knowing that the look in Tony's eyes meant that he wasn't gonna let this guy go.

"Alright!" Tony said. "Alph, let's catch that Paras! My first real capture!"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, here's where I cut you off, folks. Next time, we get to see Tony try and capture Paras, and Tony, Kelly, and Tobias all meet up! Nicole, Tayuyu and Kirby are searching for Tony, Katie is waiting for help to arrive, and Kayla and the Rockets are likely up to no good! So stay tuned, because the next chapter is a doozy!<strong>

**Anyways, I just want to take a moment to talk to you all about pairings. I personally think that adding romance to a story could help move the plot along. As such, if anyone has a request to who they'd like to see with someone, let me know! Just remember: no slash or femslash, and no pairing a ridiculously old character with someone who's a lot younger! (No Kelly and Giovanni, for example.)**

**Thanks for reading! Now, please review!**


	17. A different Point of View

Last** time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony met up with Kelly Rhodes, who is secretly a Team Rocket Grunt. Now, he carries the injured girl through the caves, while his friends, Nicole, Tayuyu and Kirby, barely survive an encounter with Kayla, who is still angry that she didn't get to kill Tony. Now, as Tony and Kelly take a break, they encounter a Paras, and being a Bug Pokemon, Tony naturally wants to catch it!**

**What will happen? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Paras had had a very, very bad day.<p>

He woke up after a nearly sleepless night to find out that the swarm he lived in had left him _again,_ the roots in their cave had all been sucked dry, leaving him without any breakfast, and now he was wandering alone throughout the caves that he had known all his life, Zubat circling above head. The Poison Bat Pokemon chittered hungrily, as they flew over a walking feast of blood.

The Paras paused, looking at the Zubat. They shrieked and flitted around the top of the cave, following him closeley. Their shrill shrieks allowed them to locate him easily, even if they were blind. Paras quickly picked up the pace, not wanting to be on the menu. Zubat never kills their prey, but that didn't mean he wanted to wait around and let them bite him. Besides, his mushrooms might get damaged.

He shook his head, before returning to the mission at hand; namely, finding his swarm. Thankfully, wherever Paras went, they usually left behind a nice trail of spores. Paras was hot on that trail, slowly following after the swarm. He'd be a lot faster, if he didn't jump at every noise he heard. Paras wasn't the bravest of his kind (which could explain why he had never been able to find a mate, that and the fact he was too shy to talk to a female), but that was standard when you lived in a swarm. When you had others of your kind, you blended in perfecly, never seen amongst the others. Safe and secure. But when you're alone, you're a walking buffet. Paras, with a side of mushrooms to boot. Huzzah.

He cast his green eyes upwards again. The Zubat were getting closer. The Paras chittered nervously, as he released a quick cloud of green spores, the Zubat smelled the sleeping powder, and flew higher, screeching unhappily that the Paras wasn't going let them drain his blood. With a few angry squeaks and curses, they flew off.

Paras didn't take his eyes off of them until they were out of sight. Zubat were fickle creatures. If they were still hungry, they'd be back.

With a chittering sigh, the Paras moved foward, still following the trail. With any luck, he'd make it to the swarm when they stopped for dinner and rest.

Speaking of dinner...

Paras groaned as he heard his empty stomach growl. He hadn't had anything to eat today, and he had been walking all day as well. He was tired and hungry, and the swarm didn't seem any closer than before.

He paused, his four legs halting where they were. There was a fork in the road. The right path had the yellowish spores of his swarm going down it. He was just about to travel down it, when a sweet, sweet scent assulted his senses.

Food?

Food!

Paras could smell food down the left path. He had no idea what it was, but he knew that it smelled good. His stomach growled and his mouth watered. A bite to eat was just what he needed...

He paused. He was actually thinking of stopping. What about the swarm? They were still far away.

The Paras couldn't help it. The swarm could wait. He was hungry _now._

He slowly made his way down the left path, his pinsers raised in the air, just in case he found any unfriendly Pokemon. Sure, Paras weren't on the menues of most Pokemon. Geodudes, Ratatta, and Celfairy didn't find them very tasty. But the dreaded Sandshrew did eat Paras, and they liked mushrooms too.

Paras slowly peered around the corner, his large eyes well suited to the dark. He slowly looked around the room, quickly catching sight of two strange creatures. At first, he though they were Pokemon. But upon further examination, he realized they weren't.

Surface dwellers!

Paras took a step back. Surface dwellers, those strange creatures that lit the caves with their infernal lights! The creatures that caused Pokemon to vanish. Paras faintly remembered one of his twenty or so brothers and sisters being scooped up by a surface dweller, never to be seen again. No Pokemon was safe with such creatures about, blasting their lights in the darkness. The lights burnt their eyes, blinding them and leaving their mushrooms dry.

Paras slowly skittered back. There was no way he'd steal food from surface dwellers. He wasn't stupid.

But he was hungry...

Paras slowly peered out again. There were two surface dwellers. One was almost as brightly colored as the cursed lights, his head covered in hair that was the color of Stun Spores. The other surface dweller was much different looking, wearing some darker things over her skin, and having a deep silvery colored hair, like a Geodude's skin. They seemed to be arguing with each other, yelling loudly at one another.

Paras slowly crept foward, realizing they were too busy shouting to notice him. He felt a surge of relief as he crawled over, keeping hidden behind rocks as he creeped closer and closer to the surface dwellers.

Suddenly, he froze. Standing a few feet away from the surface dwellers, was a strange green Pokemon. It almost looked like a Paras, but it had more legs, and no mushrooms. A strange set of black marking where on its back. Paras blinked. He had never seen a Pokemon like that before...

Still, his stomach egged him on.

He creeped around the green creature as best he could, keeping silent as he creeped around. The surface dwellers had to strange thing besides them called "bags". According to the elder Parasect, they used these bags to carry things around with them. Like food.

Paras slowly grabbed one of the soft bags, holding it in his claws. It was a green color, and it felt so soft and warm... Maybe he should keep the bag, It looked pretty comfy. He could always used a good bed, and this looked easy to carry.

He slowly opened the green bag. It was filled with strange things. Red and white balls of some sort, some strange square things made with white leaves, some large pieces of cloth (Paras remember the Elder talking about "blankets" once. Must be this thing...), and eventually some kind of round, metallic thing. The Paras picked it up and sniffed it. He could faintly smell something very good inside.

Food!

After a few seconds of examining it, he slowly stuck his claw into it. It cut through easily, revealing his prize. Several brow lumps were inside, spilling out as he sliced through. The contents spilled to the floor.

Paras sniffed the lumps. Yup. If was food alright. It didn't look that great, but...

He grabbed a small piece and placed it into his mouth, chewing it with his mandables.

His eyes widened.

It was _delicious!_

He quickly scarfed down the remains of the food, feeling it enter his stomach and energy fill his weary legs.

Searching the bag, he found another can and quickly opened it and scarfed down the food. He looked into the bag for more, but was dismayed to find there wasn't any.

He peered out to make sure that he hadn't been seen yet. He gave a sigh of relief that the two surface dwellers had yet to see him. Now, they were busy eating their own, strange meals.

With a chitter, Paras looked over to the green Pokemon. He was watching the surface dwellers intently, making it certain that he worked for them. Paras shuddered. The surface dwellers must have done something to him to make him obey.

He slowly crawled foward, looking into the can of food. It looked so good, and he was still hungry...

He slowly reached his claw into the can, pulling out a clawful of food, quickly shoving it into his mouth and grabbed for more. He tried to pull his claw out, but he couldn't. His eyes widened. His claw was stuck, having pierced the bottom. To make matters worse, the strange Pokemon chose this moment to turn and see him.

Paras chuckled weakly as the Pokemon glared at him. The, he ran, turning around and scuttering away.

The green Pokemon shouted after him, but he didn't stop, screaming as he ran away.

The surface dwellers stood up, going after him as well. The brightly colored one had a strange device that was speaking in their language. The brightly colored one began to shout to the green creature.

"Alph! Try a Poison Sting!"

The green creature shot a multitude of purple stingers at Paras. His eyes widened. Poison! He quickly scurried to the side, the deadly projectiles just missing him. All he wanted was some food, but now he was going to be on the menu!

Another volley of poisonous arrows shot overhead. He ducked under them, one nearly slicing into his right mushroom.

He felt fear well deep inside. He should have just kept moving! He never should have gone to see the surface dwellers! His mind frantically searched for a way to escape.

_"Remember," _said the voice of the Parasect Elder in his mind. _"The best defense is to run away, but always remember to never make the chase easy. Run fast, and scatter spores. That is how you will survive, younglings."_

Spores! Of course! The Parasect Elder had never been wrong before. He quickly shook his body, leaving a cloud of green and yellow spores in his wake as he ran. Once they breathed this stuff in, they'd either be asleep, or paralyzed. Either way, he could escape!

"Dodge it, Alph! Get on the walls and cut him off!"

The human's voice shattered the Paras's fantasy. The green creature obeyed, jumping onto the wall, above the spores, and chasing after him, quickly catching up. He leaped down from the wall, right in front of Paras.

The Paras's eyes widened, raising his claws in defense. Maybe he could still scare if off...

"Poison Sting! One more time!"

Another volley of darts emerged from the creature's mouth. These ones didn't miss.

Paras chittered in pain as the darts sunk into his red skin. He felt poison seep through his blood, his legs growing shaky and unstable. He looked at the green creature, expecting him to finish him off, but he didn't. He stood at the ready, but didn't attack.

"I've got you now!"

The surface dweller's voice caught the weakened Paras's attention. He turned to see the bright one, tossing one of the red and white balls at him. The sphere struck him on the head, before opening up, a red beam of light shooting towards him.

_I'm dead, _the Paras realized.

He closed his eyes, his body still shaking, as the beam enveloped him.

Suddenly, everything was very, very dark. And this was coming from someone who could see in the unlit caves of Mt. Moon.

_No! Let me out! I don't want to die!_

_Please! Let me out!_

_Please... Let me..._

Ding!

* * *

><p>Tony cheered as the capture device of the Pokeball flashed with a bright red light. "We caught 'im! Great going, Alph!"<p>

"Spin rak nip rak spi..." Alph said, quietly. (But he stole my food...)

Tony hefted the Pokeball. "Awesome," he said. "A brand new Paras."

"You should release him."

Tony blinked and whirled around to see Kelly, who was looking at his Pokedex. "What?" he asked. "Why?"

"Because, it's just a little Pokemon," she said. "It says here that Paras usually live in swarms with Parasect, it's stronger, bigger evolution. Just release the Paras, and then catch a Parasect later."

Tony laughed. "Why would I do that? I already have a Paras!"

"Because Parasect is stronger than Paras," said Kelly, matter-of-factly. "It'd be a better choice than a Parasect. And as long as we're on that subject, Paras is a Bug/Grass Type. He's extremely weak to Flying and Fire attacks."

"I know," Tony said.

"And, to be honest, without expensive TMs, the Grass Type moves Paras or Parasect can learn are pretty limited," continued Kelly.

"Yup," Tony said. "I know."

Kelly stared at him, confused. "Well, then why do you want it? You'd be better off with a Beedrill, or a Scyther."

"Because I like Bug Pokemon," Tony said. "Besides, of course it's not very strong! It wouldn't be any fun if we all got fully evolved Pokemon first thing!"

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "So, you'd rather lose with a weak Pokemon, than win with a strong one."

"No, I'd rather raise one myself," Tony said. "It feels more rewarding, you know?"

Kelly stared at him. "You don't make any sense at all."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said. "Well, Alph, time to greet the newbie! Paras, come on out!"

He opened the Pokeball, and Paras materialized with a flash of red light. The Mushroom Pokemon was shivering, his face behind his claws.

"Hey there," Tony said. "You okay?"

The Paras slowly lowered a single claw to stare at the boy. With a frightened, "Par!" he hid his face again.

Tony looked over the Paras. He looked pretty roughed up from their battle. Stingers were still stuck in his skin. "Alright," he said, walking over to his backpack and (after wondering why there were so many empty cans of Pokemon food) pulled out the Pokemon first aid kit he had. He walked back over the the still petrified Paras. The creature peeked out of his claws again, only to squeak and hide again once he saw that Tony had a sharp looking tweezer in his hand.

"Hold still..." Tony said to the terrified Bug Type. He gently gripped on of the stingers and carefully yanked it out. Paras gave a slight jump, but kept his face hidden. Tony quickly set to work, removing the remaining spikes with relative ease. "There ya go," he told the Paras. He pulled out an antidote from the bag. "Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better."

Paras slowly glanced at the strange bottle, sniffing the liqued. It smelled good, but what did it do? Maybe it would make him a slave like the green one... Still, he was dying anyway with that poison in his veins, and his mouth was getting very dry. He gave a whimper, and drank the pinkish colored drink.

After a few seconds, he felt a strange sensation. The poison was gone from his veins!

He looked up at the surface dweller, surprised. "Paras?"

"Heya," Tony said. "My name's Tony. I'm your new trainer!"

"Para sara?" _Trainer? Tony? What is this madness?_

"The grouch over there is Kelly," he said, pointing to the silver haired girl. "Don't worry about her, she'll warm up to you."

"Doubtfully," Kelly replied.

Paras looked around. Why hadn't the surface dweller killed him?

"And this is Alph," Tony said, gesturing to the green Pokemon. "He's a Spinarak, from Johto. I guess you've never seen one."

Paras stared at Alph, and then back to Tony. "Paras?"

"Well, we're trying to find out way out of here," Tony said to the Grass Type. "We're all ready to go once we're packed," he said, going to grab his backpack.

"P-paras!" Paras stuttered. "Par rap sara par pra raps!" (N-no thanks! I'm quite happy here in the caves!)

Tony grabbed his backpack, unable to understand Paras's words. He placed Kelly on his back again, and the two were ready to move. "Ready guys?"

Paras looked at the floor, downcast. The surface dweller wouldn't let him escape. He knew it. He was trapped, forever. Never to see his swarm again. Even if most of them ignored him, it was still his family. He sighed, and turned around, ready to follow the surface dweller.

"Oh! Wait!" Tony said. "I almost forgot! You'll need a name!"

A name? This surface dweller was even going to give him a name?

Tony thought about it for a second. "Tochu!" he said at last.

"Tochu?" Kelly said, raising an eyebrow.

"Paras?" the Paras formally known as Paras but now known as Tochu said. (Tochu?)

"Yeah, the mushrooms on his back are called tochukaso, but no one can remember that!" Tony said. "Tochu it is! Provided it's okay with you."

"Paras..." Tochu sighed, accepting his fate.

Tony grinned. "Great!" he said, leaning over and giving the creature a pat on the head. "Alright, Tochu, Alph, let's go!"

The strange group moved on, their stomachs full, and a new Pokemon to boot.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Pallet Town, miles away from Mt. Moon, was beginning to settle down. The sky was growing darker, hues of deep violet and orange began to fill the sky. Nocturnal Pokemon were begining to stir, while other Pokemon readied for sleep.<p>

Sally Miller opened the door to her house, her waitress uniform still in. She worked at the local resturant in town; not because she needed to, but just because she liked to have some extra cash on hand. She sighed as she walked down the hall to the kitchen, passing the living room while she was at it. Pappy was inside, watching TV with Cap'n. "Heya, Pappy," she said. "How are you?"

Pappy turned to Sally. "Fine, dear," he said, kindly. "Me and Cap'n are just enjoying some good ol' fashioned TV. How was work?"

"Just fine!" said Sally, walking back to the kitchen. "How does a nice summer salad sound for dinner?"

"Sounds just fine!" Pappy replied.

"Karp, karp!" said Cap'n, agreeing.

"Alright," Sally said, opening the magent covered refridgerator. "I'll get it ready!"

"Alright then, just... What the... HEY! Sally! Get in here, hurry!"

Sally froze, before running into the TV room. "What is it?" she asked.

"Look on the TV!" said Pappy. "The news!"

Sally's eyes widened as she read the report. "This is an urgent news update!" said the reporter, a blonde haired woman who was standing right by the Mt. Moon Pokemon Center. "The entrance to Mt. Moon has just been destroyed by an explosion, sealing off the cave to all travellers, and possibly trapping several inside!"

Sally felt her blood freeze. Tony said he would be travelling through the Mt. Moon path today!

"I'm here with the local Officer Jenny, who is responsible for making sure the paths stay safe for travellers!" said the reported, holding her microphone to a green haired and very flustered looking Jenny. "Officer, can you tell us what happened?" the reporter inquired.

"W-well," Jenny stuttered. "I caught wind of this incedent when I heard a loud explosion. No fatalities or injuries have been reported so far."

"And what about those inside the caves?" asked the reporter. "We've been hearing reports from Cerulean City that people haven't been coming out of the caves all day."

"Uh, I'm... I'm not authorized to release..." Jenny said, nervously.

"We've also heard reports that a girl saw members of Team Rocket in those caves!" the reporter said. "What do you have to say about that?"

Jenny's face went white. "No comment..."

The reporter sighed. "Well, that was... very informative. We'll be right back soon with more on this tragedy. We'll be posting names of those confirmed who have not come out of the caves. Until then, this is Jen Eric, from Channel 15 News!"

A list of names began to scroll up the screen. Sally felt tears well up as she saw Kirby, Tayuyu, and eventually Tony scroll up the screen, along with two dozen other names.

"Pappy," she said. "Get the car ready!"

Pappy grabbed Cap'n, jumping up. "Yes, ma'am!" he said.

Sally turned off the TV, tears streaming down her eyes. "I'm coming, Tony," she promised. "Just stay alive, please!"

She spun around and ran outside to the car, ready to find her nephew.

* * *

><p>Unfortunetly, Sally wasn't the only one to see the report.<p>

Inside her penthouse in Celedon City, Anna Maruko furrowed her brow as she saw her son's assumed name scroll up the TV. Missing in caves, with rumors of Rocket activity to boot.

She growled and pulled out her cellphone, quickly dialing a number.

After a few seconds, a voice answered. "Yes?"

"Giovanni," Anna said. "We'll have to cancel our meeting tomorrow morning."

"Ah," Giovanni said. "Something come up?"

"Yes," said Anna. "I have some business to take care of."

"I see." Giovanni was silent for a moment. "Very well," he said. "We'll do lunch, friday. How is that for your schedule?"

"Fine, thank you," said Anna gratefully.

"Very good," Giovanni said. "I'll leave you to your work then. Tell your husband I said hello."

Anna nodded. "I will," she said. She hung up on Giovanni, and then typed in another number.

"Yes ma'am?" the voice of her driver said.

"I'll be down stairs soon," Anna said. "Get the limo ready."

"Very good, miss," her driver replied.

Anna shut the phone, and stood up. "Alright, Sally," she said. "You tried things your way, and now it's time to do things my way."

She walked to the elevator, her face filled with anger and frustration.

It was time to take her son back.

* * *

><p>Tochu sighed as he scuttled through the caves, the surface dweller known as Tony in front of him. Here he was, trapped and enslaved. Doomed never to see his swarm again, and spend the rest of his life in servitude this strange creature.<p>

Why him? Why did he have to sleep in, and get left behind? Why was he always the unlucky one? If he had half an ounce of courage inside, he would take out these strangers with a Spore attack, leaving them to sleep while he escaped. But he was too scared. What if the Spinarak got him again?

He shuddered, spores falling to the ground as he shook. This was it. His fate. The end.

He gave a chittering sigh. Life was so unfair.

He looked to the side, at the Spinarak called Alph. The Spider Pokemon had been walking along side him for some time now, as they kept an eye out for a way to escape the caves, into the deadly light beyond.

Should he speak with the strange Pokemon?

Well, he was dying for some conversation. Sighing, he poked the Spinarak. "Uh... Hi," he said. "Sorry for, uh, stealing your food and all..."

Alph didn't respond. He simply kept crawling ahead.

"Brainwashed..." muttered Tochu. "I knew it..."

"I'm not brainwashed."

Tochu jumped. "D-don't do that!" he told the Spinarak.

Alph ignored the older, and yet very cowardly Pokemon. "You want to know about the tall one, yes?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," said Tochu.

"I know very little..." Alph muttered. "He likes us because we are Bug Pokemon. He gives us food and encourages us. I don't know why..."

"Well, then why am I here?" asked Tochu. "I need to catch up with my swarm!"

"Because, you're a Bug, I'm a Bug, and Lucky is a Bug too," Alph replied. "Why else?"

"Oh," said Tochu. He blinked. "Who is Lucky?"

"A Butterfree," Alph replied. "She's Tony's favorite."

"What's a Butterfree?" asked Tochu.

Alph blinked. "You've never seen one before?"

"No, what does she look like?" asked Tochu, curiously.

Alph shrugged. "Like a Butterfree."

"That's not what I-! Ah forget it," said Tochu, sighing. "I'll find out for myself eventually." He looked at Tony, who was engaged in another argument with Kelly over which way they should go. "Why are we wandering around like this?"

"We're trying to find a way out of here," Alph said.

"Oh... Oh?"

Tochu froze. They wanted out of the caves! That's right!

And he knew these caves like the back of his claw!

All he had to do was show them where an exit was. They'd be so happy, they'd rush outside, and he could slip away easily!

Tochu felt a surge of hope fill his heart. "You want to know the way out?" he asked. "I'll show you! Follow me!"

He charged ahead, passing both Tony and Kelly.

* * *

><p>"All I'm saying is... Where's he going?"<p>

Tony blinked as his argument with Kelly was halted by Tochu, charging ahead. "Paras, paras!" the Mushroom Pokemon shouted, waving his claws.

"Where's he going?" asked Kelly.

"Let's find out," Tony said, picking up the pace. "Hey, Tochu! Wait up! I can't move very fast when I'm holding Kelly!"

"Are you implying I'm overweight?" snapped Kelly.

Tony ignored the question, making sure to keep up with the Bug Pokemon. "I think he wants to tell us something..." he muttered. "I wonder if he knows how to get out of the caves."

"Probably not," Kelly said. What she really meant, though, was _hopefully _not. She was hoping on running into the other Rocket Grunts. Once she did, she'd turn Tony over to them, and take his Pokemon for the boss. The wounded ankle was only a mild problem in her plan. She was still the best, and she could take this kid down.

She smirked to herself as Tony kept blindly following the Paras. This kid didn't deserve Pokemon. He was way to naive and childish for them. They'd be better and stronger with the Rockets.

Tochu kept moving as quickly as he could, keeping ahead of Tony, and heading right for the entrance to the caves. This was his chance to escape, and he wasn't going to give it up!

Until...

"HELP!"

Tony stopped dead in his tracks. They were in a large tunnel, heading up a slope that lead to another tunnels. Tochu froze, and Kelly blinked. "What was that?"

To answer their question, a black haired, nerdy looking boy with a pair of glass, a flashlight, and a Pikachu holding onto his head leaped out of the cave, slipping and sliding down the path. Tony quickly moved out of the way to avoid being hit by the older male. Screaming in a nasally voice, the boy slid down to the bottom, hitting the ground with a grunt of pain.

"Hey!" Tony shouted. "Are you okay?"

The boy adjusted his glass, his eyes wide. He pointed his flashlight at them. "L-look out!"

Tony and Kelly whirled to see four yellowish tan balls shoot out from the cave, rolling down the slope right for them. Tony's eyes widened, and he tried to move out of the way, but with a girl on his back it was difficult. He took one of the strange balls to the chest, knocking him and Kelly down the slope and back to the ground. Alph and Tochu followed suit, hitting the ground with a "Rak!" and a "Par!" respectively.

"OWOWOWOW!" shouted Kelly, rubbing her sliced back. "What was that?"

The boy with the glasses swallowed. "Sandshrew!" he said.

The four balls reached the bottom of the slope, unfolding into tan, mouse-like Pokemon with small black eyes and short, but sharp, claws.

Tony flipped out his Pokedex. **"Sandshrew, the Shrew Pokemon. Sandshrew are shy creatures with weak eyesight, that prefer to live with members of their own kind. They live primarily in burrows and caves, and only are active when it is dark and cool. Being pure Ground Types, they are immune to electricity, and are excellent at digging tunnels. They have poisonous claws to stun attackers, but they do not use them to hunt. Their primary diet consists of roots, small, ground based veggies, like potatoes and radishes, and small Bug Pokemon, like Paras and Weedle, which it can hunt easily due to their resistance to poisons. They are normally very docile, but will attack if they are disturbed."**

Tochu hid behind Tony's leg, chittering in fear. Sandshrew, why did if have to be Sandshrew! The only thing that eats Paras in these caves, and here it was right in front of him! Well, it could be worse. There could also be a...

"Slash!"

...Hoh, boy...

Another ball shot down the slope, covered in dark brown needles. It reached the bottom and unfolded, revealing a larger, more powerful version of Sandshrew, with elongated, sharper claws.

**"Sandslash," **the Pokedex chimed. **"The Shrew Pokemon, and the evolved form of Sandshrew. Sandslash gets its name from its six inch long claws that it uses for digging, hunting, and self defense. They tend to stick around groups of their pre-evolved form, and usually lead them. Sandslash is not as shy or timid as Sandshrew, however, and will attack without mercy."**

"Oh, great," Tony muttered. "And here I thought we were getting somewhere!"

The boy with the glasses growled. "It's not my fault! Phantom is the one who aggrivated them!" he said, pointing to the Pikachu.

"Chu!" Phantom protested.

"Oh, save it!" retorted the boy.

"Uh, hi," Kelly said. "Bigger problems here?"

The Sandshrew, with their Sandslash boss, were advancing, surrounding the group. Their claws were at the ready, glistening with their poisonous venom.

Tony looked down at his Pokemon. "Looks like these guys aren't gonna be reasonable," he told them. "We'll have to fight our way out!" He turned to Kelly. "Do you have any Pokemon?"

"Peh," Kelly said, "Naturally," she said, pulling out a Pokeball. "Just keep your Bugs out of my way."

The boy nodded. "No way am I backing out! I'm not some damsel in distress!"

"Could've fooled me..." muttered Kelly.

"Quiet you!" ordered the boy.

Kelly opened her Pokeball. "Jackie, deploy!" she ordered.

A pink, blob like creature appeared, a vacant expression on his face. "Ditto!" he chimed, ready for battle.

Tony gave the creature a quick scan with the Pokedex. **"Ditto, the Transformation Pokemon. Ditto is an amazing Pokemon, capable of shapeshifting into any living creature. It is capable of using any moves that the Pokemon it scanned could, but is uncapable of recreating some of the higher brain functions, such as speech or specific Pokemon cries. It only knows one move, Transform, which allows it to mimic other creatures. It is capable of changing its gender and will, and reproducing assexually."**

"Jackie, Transform into that Sandslash!" ordered Kelly.

"Ditto!" said Jackie. His body changed into a deep tan, and grew, sharp claws and spikes emerging. Within seconds, the Ditto had become a Sandslash. "Ditto!" he shouted, raising his new claws.

"Slash, slash!" shouted the real Sandslash. With an angry grunt, it charged at the faker.

"Use an attack, Jackie!" shouted Kelly. "Let's see how these punks like their own claws used against 'em!"

Jackie charged foward, using a Slash attack. The Sandslash snarled, mimicking the move. The two claws slammed into each other, kicking up sparks.

The real Sandslash jumped back, rolling into a balls and shooting foward.

"It's a Rollout attack!" shouted the nerdy boy.

"Peh," Kelly said. "Like we care! Use your Slash to hold him back!"

"Dit!" Jackie said, grabbing the spinning Shrew. The Sandslash round to a halt, surprised at the Ditto's action. With a happy yell, he tossed the surprised Ground Type into a wall. The Sandslash fell to the ground, dazed and injured.

"Gotcha!" said a triumphant Kelly, pulling out a Pokeball. "You're mine now!" She tossed it at the Sandslash.

"Shrew!"

A Sandshrew leaped into the air, extending her claws. With a grunt, she sliced the Pokeball in two with a quick Crush Claw attack. The two halves clattered to the ground, uselessly.

"Hey!" Kelly shouted.

Tony gritted his teeth. "Tochu, Alph, Kelly might need some help!"

"I do not!" Kelly shouted.

"I said 'might' need some help!" Tony said. "Jeez... Alright, Alph, try your Night Shade! Tochu, hit 'em with your Spore attack! ...Tochu?"

The Paras was shivering, terrified. Had the human actually told him to go and fight those Sandshrew?

"Looks like he's scared," said the nerdy boy. "You know, the Sandshrew line is the only natural predators that the Paras line ever encounter. Fossil records show that-!"

"Yes, yes, I know, I know," Tony said. "Alph, looks like we're gonna have to do this without Tochu! Let's go!"

Alph leaped in front of Tony, ready to fight off the Sandshrews.

Two of the Sandshrews growled at the Spinarak, before charging, the one on the left rolling into a ball, and the other on the right simply running. "String Shot, Alph!" Tony shouted. "Aim for the rolling one! Just like we did with Jigglypuff!"

"Raak!" shouted Alph, firing off a strand of gooey webbing, quickly tangling up the Sandshrew with sticky strands.

"Shrew!" the Sandshrew cried as he crashed to the ground, dazed and immobilized by the webbing.

"Alright, Leech Life!" Tony shouted.

Alph shot foward, his mandables gleaming in the light of the nerdy boy's flashlight and Tony's glowstick. He charged right for the Sandshrew, but was quickly cut off by his companion, who angrily struck Alph with a fierce Crush Claws attack. Alph screamed in pain as he was knocked back.

"Alph!" Tony cried.

Alph grunted in pain as he struggled to stand, all six of his legs shaking and a trickle of blood hanging down from his mouth. He looked up just in time to see the Sandshrew's claw coming right for his face.

"PI-KA!"

In the nick of time, the Pikachu Phantom Slammed right into the Sandslash, bashing him back into his still tangled friend.

"That a boy, Phantom!" called the Pikachu's trainer.

Phantom grinned, holding his hand out to Alph. The Spinarak took it, standing up with the Pikachu. He gave Phantom an appreciative "Raak," before turning back to his foes.

"Alright," Tony said. "Kelly and... Uh, what was your name again?"

"Oh, I'm Tobias, Tobias Mizuki," the boy greeted. "And you are?"

"Tony, Tony Miller," said Tony, shaking Tobias's hand.

"Hey, aren't you that kid from the news?" Tobias asked. "The one who beat up Team Rocket?"

"Well, I helped stop them, really," Tony replied, modestly. "It was mostly the Caterpie in the Viridian Forest who stopped them, along with our police force, and-!"

"Get on with it!" snapped Kelly.

"Rak, spin a rak sprak!" Alph said. (Yes, get on with it!)

Phantom, Jackie and the Sandshrews, along with the Sandslash turned and gave their own calls. (Yeah, get on with it!)

"Alright, alright, yeesh!" Tony said, sweatdropping. "Uh, let's save the formallity for when we're out of the life or death situation."

"An excellent idea," said Tobias. "Phantom! Use your Slam again!"

Phantom nodded. "Chu!" he agreed, charging foward at the Sandshrew. With a triumphant cry, he pounded his target back. The Sandshrew cried in pain as Phantom knocked him flat on his back.

"Follow it up with another Slam!" Tobias said, adjusting his glasses.

Phantom did just that, and with a powerful "Chu!" the Ground Type Pokemon was knocked out.

"Night Shade, Alph!" ordered Tony.

"Raak!" Alph said, charging foward. He leaped at the Sandshrew who had clawed him before. A black aura surrounded his body, before exploding and striking the Ground Type with a burst of darkness.

"Now, use Leech Life to restore your strength!" said Tony.

Alph leaped onto the Sandshrew's back, sticking his fangs into the creature's neck. After a few sickly slurps, he leaped off of the Sandshrew, who collapsed to the ground, out cold.

"Great job!" said Tony, giving Alph a thumbs up. But they weren't done yet. Two Sandshrew, and their boss, remained.

"You guys take the Shrews!" said Kelly, pulling out another empty Pokeball. "The Slash is all mine." She turned to Jackie. "Alright, use Crush Claws!"

"Dit!" said Jackie, before charging at the Sandslash again, claws raised in the air.

The Sandslash growled angrily, before rolling into a ball. He rapidly spun around and around, until a fierce Sandstorm kicked up.

"Whoa!" Tony shouted. "What's going on?"

"It's a Sandstorm attack!" shouted Tobias. "Keep the sand out of your eyes!"

"Sand or no sand, we're not backing down!" said Kelly. "Use Crush Claw again!"

"Ditto!" said Jackie, turning to face his foe. But when he turned around, the Sandslash was already halfway there, charging at full speed!

"Catch him!" shouted Kelly.

Jackie grabbed the Sandslash, but it effortlessly broke out and struck the poor Ditto, full force.

With a cry, Jackie hit the ground. "Jackie!" said Kelly, as the Ditto stood up. "What was that? You had him before!"

Tobias groaned. "Don't you know anything?" he shouted. "Rollout gets stronger every time you use it in a battle!"

Kelly blinked. "Of course I know that! I'm not stupid or anything! And it doesn't matter either!" She turned back to Jackie. "Time to show the chumps who's champ around here! Use Rollout too!"

"Ditto!" said Jackie, rolling into a ball too. He charged straight for the Sandslash, and with a triumphant "Dit!" smashed right into his stomach. The Sandslash fell back, and didn't have any time to react when Jackie bashed into his stomach again.

The Sandslash leaped back, clutching his brusied stomach. With a growl, he rolled into a ball and charged, using his own Rollout attack.

"Rollout again, Jackie!" said Kelly.

The Ditto nodded, rolling into a ball and shooting at his foe. They collided with a slam. Both balls kept rolling foward, neither giving an inch as they kept struggling. Both Pokemon had used Rollout twice, and so they were equally as powerful. However, both Pokemon were also injured, and could only keep up for so long. It was only a matter of time until one of them broke down and got knocked out.

"Shrew!"

Another rolling ball, joined the fray, this one one of the Sandshrew. While she wasn't as strong at the Sandslash, she was enough to tip the scales in his favor. She rammed into the side of Jackie, dazing him and giving the Sandslash enough time to strike him with a powerful bash of Rollout.

"Jackie!" cried Kelly as the Ditto turned Sandslash hit the ground, dazed. "Jackie, stand up! We can't lose this!" She turned to Tobias and Tony. "I thought you two were gonna take care of the Sandshrew!" she snapped.

"We're trying!" retorted Tony. Alph and Phantom were struggling to land a single hit on the Sandshrew that remained. The Sandstorm, along with the low visibility, made it hard to get a lock on the creature. Alph and Phantom were outmanuvered constantly but the Sandshrew moved throug the sandy wind with ease, attacking them with their backs turned. "Darn it!" Tony shouted. "Can't this guy hold still!"

"It's Sand Veil!" shouted Tobias. "A special ability that can be found in eleven species of Pokemon! Two species that can learn it are Sandshrew and Sandslash! It camoflauges them when a Sandstorm starts!"

"Oh, great!" Tony said, sarcastically. "Alph, try Night Shade!"

Alph nodded and charged at the Sandshrew, a black aura surrounding his body. However, the Sandshrew dissapeared, and Alph missed completely. He heard a malicious giggle behind him, and turned just in time to see the Sandshrew rolling at him. Alph couldn't move in time, and was hit full force, knocked right on his back. He weakly got up, chittering in pain.

Kelly growled. "No way are we losing this!" she shouted to Jackie.

The Ditto weakly stood up, raising his claws. Both the Sandshrew and Sandslash were ready for him, their claws gleaming. "Alright!" Kelly said. "Use Crush Claw, and let's make it count!"

Jackie charged foward as both the Shrew and the Slash charged as well. With a mighty CLANG! the Slash and the Ditto collided, sparks flying from their claws. The Sandshrew tried to swipe at Jackie's legs, but he kicked her back with his foot, before applying more power to his claws.

"Now!" Kelly shouted. "Jump back and use Rollout!"

The Ditto obeyed his trainer, leaping back and curling into a ball. He quickly shot foward, colliding with the Sandslash and sending him flying into a wall. The Sandslash groaned in pain as he slid to the floor, out cold.

"Hah!" Kelly said, tossing her second Pokeball. "You're not getting away this time!"

However, just as the Pokeball careened right for her target, the Sandshrew that had been battling Tony leaped out, slicing the Pokeball into two pieces, just like the other one. The Sandshrew stood defiantly against her, followed by the second Sandshrew who had been helping the Sandslash before.

"Hey!" Kelly shouted. "I beat him fair and square!"

"Kelly, that Sandslash is probably the leader because he's bigger and stronger than these little guys are!" said Tony.

"He's correct," said Tobias. "Those Pokemon likely know that you intend to take their leader away, and they do not want to lose their protector."

"Fine!" snapped Kelly. "I'll take them out first! Use-!"

Before she could bark her order, the Sandshrew rolled into balls, charging foward at the fake Sandslash. One bounced into the air, slamming him in the face, while the other took out his legs. With a cry of pain, Jackie fell to the ground, transforming back to his Ditto form before falling unconcious.

"Oh, no, Jackie!" Kelly said. But that was the least of her troubles. The Sandshrew knew she was the one throwing Pokeballs around, so they had to get rid of her if they wanted their pack to survive. They leaped over the Ditto and charged at the crippled girl. Without any way to move without Tony or Tobias' help, Kelly couldn't get away.

"Augh!" she screamed as one of the Sandshrew sliced into her arm with sharps claws. The other followed suit, slashing her stomach with its own claws.

"Kelly!" Tony screamed, running to help the girl up. "Alph, get 'em away from her!"

"Rak! Spina!" Alph cried, charging at the Sandshrew. He leaped at the duo, but missed completely. The two Sandshrews leaped back, tauning Alph with their cries as he struggled to catch them. But there was no way to do it when they were hidden in the sand!

"We need to get rid of that Sandstorm!" shouted Tobias.

"How?" asked Tony. "What can we do?"

"Think of something fast!" ordered Kelly. "Because here they come again!"

With two angry "Shrews!" the two Sandshrew shot for the trio of trainers, Rollout attacks at the ready. But with the Sandstorm brewing, it was nearly impossible to see them, with all that sand brewing.

Alph looked at Phantom. "Spin rak spin!" (Let's get them!)

Phantom nodded. "Chu pik pik chu!" (Ah, yeah, let's go!

They charged straight for the two Sandshrew, and promptly missed and tooks hits from Rollout. The two hit the ground, sliding to their trainers.

Alph chittered in pain, standing up up with shaky legs.

Phantom looked pretty bad too. He was covered in dirts and bruises. He moaned unhappliy as he fell to his knees, panting for breath.

"Shrew!" one of the Sandshrew said, charging foward.

"P... Paras!"

A ball of green powder shot over Tony's head, exploding in the Sandstorm.

"It's a Spore attack!" Tobias said. "A Grass Type attack found in-!"

"Tochu?" Tony asked, turning around.

"Well, there's no Pokemon species called Tochu..." muttered Tobias.

"No, Tochu, my new Paras!" explained Tony.

"Ah, yes, Paras!" said Tobias nodding. "It can also be found in-!"

"Oh, shut up and focus on the task at hand!" snapped Kelly.

"Hey, look!" Tony said.

The powder from Spore had mixed with the Sandstorm. Now, instead of tan sand, all you could see was deep green spores from the tochukaso on Paras' back. Without the sand, the Sandshrew stuck out like sore thumbs! The two were confused, holding their breathes and coughing, unsure why the sand was green now.

"They've lost their camo!" said Tony.

"Par! Par pas rasap par!" shouted Tochu, waving to Alph and Phantom. (Hey! Let's get outta here!)

"Chu pik!" said Phantom, standing up. "Pika chu!" (No way! Payback time!)

"Spin pin spina rak!" said Alph. (I'm not giving up!)

Tochu blinked. _They're still gonna fight?_

"This is it!" shouted Tony. "Alph, one more Night Shade!"

"Phantom, use Slam, but make sure to hold your breath!" said Tobias.

Both Pokemon nodded, charging at the duo who had given them so much trouble. A black aura shot from Alph, striking the first Sandshrew, while Phantom struck the second with a powerful Slam.

With two "Sand..." the Sandshrew went down at long last. The Sandstorm settled down quickly afterwards.

"Hah! We did it!" cheered Tony. "Great job, Alph and Tochu!"

Par sara par rap sasa?" asked Tochu. (Why didn't we just run away?)

"Good going, Phantom!" said Tobias.

"Pika chu!" said Phantom, leaping onto his trainer's shoulder.

Kelly returned Jackie to his Pokeball, before pulling out another one. She looked over to the Sandslash, still out cold. "No one to stop me this time," she said, raising the Pokeball.

Tony grabbed her arm. "Wait a second," he said.

Kelly sighed. "What is it now?" she demanded.

"Well, we can't just take him away," Tony said. "He's their leader, their protector! If you take him away, it'll be harder for them to survive!"

"He's right," said Tobias. "Staying with a larger Pokemon of the same line increases the chances of survival by-!"

"Hey, I beat him, fair and square!" said Kelly. "And I am gonna catch him, fair and square!" She raised the Pokeball again, but then, stopped.

Why was everything moving?

She felt her stomach heave, her muscles ached, and she felt dizzy. The Pokeball slipped from her hand, and she fell backwards to the ground, out of Tony's arms.

"Wow! Kelly!" said Tony, steadying the girl.

"Wha... What's wrong...?" she said, feeling very sick.

Tobias swallowed. "Oh, no," he said. "She's been poisoned by those Sandshrew!"

Kelly's eyes widened. "P-poisoned...?"

"Yes," said Tobias. "Sandshrew use poison to defend themselves with. It isn't fatal to Pokemon, but enough can kill a human being!" He looked at Tony, his face very serious.

"Tony... If we don't get her out of these caves, quickly... she might die."

Kelly's eyes widened. This was not part of the plan. Cold sweat began to trickle down her forehead.

"We need a first aid kit, and something to carry her on, like a litter!" said Tobias.

"I've got a first aid kit!" said Tony, opening his backpack and pulling it out.

"Good," said Tobias. "Bandage her arm and stomach..." He ruffled through his own bag. "I have my tent!" he declared, as he pulled to tent supports sticks out of his own backpack.

"A fat lot of good that'll do me..." muttered Kelly, as Tony applied the disinfectant spray.

"True," said Tobias. "But with these two sticks, we could make a litter. We just need something for you to lay on."

"I know!" Tony said. "Alph, use String Shot on those two! Make a bed for Kelly!"

Alph nodded, quickly leaping onto the two sticks and spinning a rapid web. Within seconds, he had spun a durable web for Kelly to lie on.

Tobias and Tony gently lifted Kelly onto the litter, before grabbing the handles at both ends. "Now we really need to get out of here!" said Tony, nervously.

"Right!" said Tobias, as he they quickly made their exit, being careful not to step on any of the out cold Sandshrew.

Kelly gave a gasp of pain as the poison swam through her bloodstream. Tony had sealed her wound, but she was still in a great deal of pain. "It' hurts!" she coughed out. "It hurts so bad!"

"Kelly, you need to calm down!" said Tony.

"He's right," said Tobias. "Venom travels through the blood stream! If you panic, your blood flows faster, and it will shorten your time!"

Kelly winced. "Easy for you to say"! she said.

"Tochu," said Tony. "Climb onto Kelly and use Spore."

"Paras?" Tochu asked.

"Wha... Why?" Kelly asked.

"You need to keep calm," Tony said. "Some sleep will help you." He nodded at Tochu. "Do it."

Tochu nodded, before slowly crawling onto the litter. He shook his mushrooms, releasing spores into Kelly's face. In a few seconds, she drifted off into dreamland.

Tony sighed. "Let's hurry," he told Tobias.

Tobias nodded. "Of course. Let's go."

The two hiked through the caves, the out-cold girl in their litter and determined looks on their faces.

_Don't worry, Kelly,_ thought Tony. _You're not gonna die on my watch!_

* * *

><p><strong>Stupid Sandshrew...<strong>

**Uh, sorry, just remembering that crappy desert stage in PMD: Explorers of the Sky. Anyways, Tony has captured Paras, now named Tochu. Yes, Tochukaso are in fact what the mushrooms on Paras' back are called. I looked it up. I really liked writing things from the perspective of a Pokemon that's being captured. They don't know what's going on. For all they know they could be dying! I thought it was pretty cool.**

**And yes, I know you can't actually find Sandshrew in Mt. Moon (though it was there in the anime), and I know that Sandslash would be even less likely to be there. But, screw it, I'm not changing it. I can take some artistic liberties, and the place where I did find Sandshrew in Pokemon Blue version is right next to Mt. Moon, so they could have tunneled their way in.**

**And Aunt Sally and Pappy are on their way! But Anna is too! Why would she be going there? What is she planning?**

**Well, tune in next time for another exciting adventure! Time to start wrapping up Mt. Moon!**

**But before you leave or review, I'd like to let you know that there's a poll on my profile about this story. It has a list of Bug Type Pokemon you can catch in the first and second Generation games! Chose two and vote for them!**

**On the poll are Pokemon like:**

**Pinsir**

**Scyther and Scizor**

**Venonat and Venomoth**

**Shuckle**

**Heracross**

**Weedle, Kakuna and Beedrill**

**Pineco and Foretress**

**Yanma**

**Or, a Ledyba and Ledian!**

**Who is he gonna get? Well, time to find out! Go see the poll and vote! Tony's gonna be needing more Pokemon after all! So go to my profile and vote, fans!**


	18. Battle with the Rockets

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony caught a Paras, who he named Tochu, after the mushrooms on his back. Tochu is naturally terrified of human beings and wants to escape. Hearing from Alph that Tony wants to head out of the caves, he decided to lead him out and escape when Tony wasn't looking. Tony's unwilling companion, Kelly, had her own ideas, planning on following Tony until he lead her to where Team Rocket was. Then, she could capture him and steal his Pokemon. However, after a run in with a trainer named Tobias and an angry pack of Sandshrew and Sandslash, her plans have fallen apart. She took a vicious Poison Sting from two of the Sandshrews, and now lies dying as Tony and Tobias carry her out of the caves, urgently seeking someone with medical attention.**

**What will happen? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Three hours. That's how long they'd been stuck in here. Three hours of searching, running like mad, and getting electrocuted.<p>

Ivan Rhodes had had enough. He was fuming. He was covered in sweat, his face was bright red, and his glasses were becoming slippery, sliding off his nose. This... this _field work_ for was the grunts! He was a scientist! A brilliant mind renowned for his intellect! Not some dusty, master-degreeless idiots!

The middle aged man swore as he adjusted his glasses yet again. He had been in a bad mood ever since they lost that kid with the fossil and the Pikachu. He really hated those miserable rats. Always chewing on power cables while he was conducting his research, always ruining things. Why anyone would train one of the freak of nature was far beyond him.

He gritted his teeth as he stood there, his wife, Celia, chipping uselessly away at the wall, hoping to find a fossil. The two Rocket Grunts were sitting near the entrance, whispering to each other in hused tones. _Idiots,_ thought Ivan. The two clearly had little education. This muscle work was clearly the only thing those two cretins were cut out for, as anything involving higher brain functions would be out of their reach, far, far out of their reach. Why Giovanni had hired them was beyond him.

Giovanni was a fool, he decided. He had underestimated Ivan Rhodes, and he would pay for it.

_What sort of job is this? _Ivan thought. _Have I not proven my worth to that man yet? Even now, my cloning tanks are breeding him a new generation of Pokemon to use for his schemes! I am a master of science and cloning, and this is the thanks I get?_

Ivan slammed his fist against a wall, cursing loudly.

Celia sighed as her husband seethed and raged. "Can't you find something productive to do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like what?" snapped Ivan. "Wandering around these caves like an idiot some more?"

"You could help me examine this wall!" shouted Celia. "I need to know how old it is! Hand me the flashlight!"

Ivan growled and did as he was told, handing his wife the flashlight. "Make it quick," he said.

His walkie talkie began to beep. "Sir!" said the voice of the Rocket Squad Leader. "We've recieved reports from the agent at the front of the cave! Our cover's been blown!"

"WHAT?" Ivan barked harshly into the remote.

"They know that we're in here!" said the Squad Leader. "According to our agent, the Gym Leader from Pewter City just showed up! He's tunneling through the rockslide that Reeds made!"

Ivan swore again. "Get the troop ready to head out!" he ordered. "There is another truck on the other side, that will take us through Cerulean back to the hideout! I want every agent in that truck ASAP! Where is Reeds?" he demanded.

"Uh... She's right here sir..." came the reply.

"Put her on! NOW!" Ivan ordered.

"Uh... I can't do that sir... She's... in one of her... moods..."

"Do you want your paycheck!" Ivan shouted.

"...Yes..."

"THEN PUT HER ON!" Ivan shouted, surprising even his wife.

"Yessir!" the voice said, terrified.

After a few seconds, Kayla's voice came onto the line. "What is it, egghead? I'm not in the mood."

Ivan took a deep breath, stopping himself from yelling. "Kayla," he said. "We've just recieved word that the police are getting into the caves. You need to move out with the others. There is a truck waiting for you o the other side of the caves."

"Goodie," said Kayla, drily. "And what about the hostages?"

"We might need them," said Celia, whispering in her husband's ear. "If the police show up, we don't want to risk a confrontation."

Ivan nodded. "Keep them alive. If the police show up, we can still use them."

"You're no fun, Ivy-Poo!" whined Kayla. She sighed. "Fine. Let's get this over with and go home. I've had a very, very bad day."

The line went off, and Ivan pocketed the walkie talkie. "Ivy-Poo?" his wife asked.

"I cannot help it if the woman is deranged," Ivan snapped. However, the thought chilled him. Ivy Poo sounded like a nickname for a boyfriend. The idea of Kayla Reeds touching him in any way was rather frightening. He shuddered, and then returned to business. "Pack up," he ordered.

"What?" Celia said, surprised. "Giovanni will be furious of we come back empty handed!"

"He'll be even more furious if you and I end up in jail!" snapped Ivan. "We. Are. Leaving." He grabbed his wife by the arm and began to drag her off. The two Rocket Grunts that guarded them followed after them.

Celia growled, pulling her arm away. "This is all your fault!" she snapped.

"My fault?" snapped Ivan. "I can't determine where the fossils are with psychic powers! How is this my fault?"

"Not the fossils!" shouted Celia. "This whole mess! Working for the Rockets, taking orders from a criminal, and allowing our scientific genuis to be wasted for common crime! You're the one who agreed for this job! I just got dragged along for this idiocy!"

"Would you have rather stayed at the Cinnabar Labs, where we were given paper work to fill out, and our ideas of science were considered to be 'too extreme' to study?"

"We could have eventually have gotten a grant if you didn't mouth off to the boss!" shouted Celia.

"Maruko was an idiot, unworthy of our services!" shouted Ivan. "She had no appreciation for what our work could do! At least Giovanni had a need for our skills!"

Celia shot a glare at the man. "Well, maybe it was just you!" she snapped.

"What do you mean?" Ivan said.

"It was your bad attitude she didn't like! Why did I have to leave our job just because you got fired?" Celia snapped.

"Because I said so!" Ivan roared.

Before Celia could answer, the walkie talkie beeped again. Ivan growled as he answered it. "What?"

"Ooh... Someone sounds angry. Is that the sweet aroma of martial dispute I smell in the air?"

"Reeds..." Ivan said, annoyed. "How is the progress on our retreat?"

"Not super good, I'm afraid," Reeds replied. "We've hit a bump in our metaphorical road."

"What kind of bump?" shouted Ivan.

"Ugly rocky bumps with ugly bumpy faces," said Kayla. "A whole bunch of them."

Celia groaned. "They've found a pack of wild Geodude. Delightful."

Ivan growled. "Reeds, get me Agent 93. She can take them out."

"Ninety-Who?" Kayla asked.

"93!" Ivan shouted. "My daughter! Put her on!"

"Umm... Hmm... Any 93 here? 93? Hello~!" Kayla called. "Sorry, Ivy-Poo, no 93 for you!"

"What do you mean?" snapped Celia. "She's our daughter! She wouldn't get lost!"

"Well, she ain't here," said Kayla, in a "I know something you don't know" voice. "So sorry, but I've got to go now. These rock weirdies are making faces at me, and I don't like it!" There was a loud banging sound, followed by muffled screams, before the line went dead.

Ivan shoved the walkie talkie into his pocket. "Of all the times for that stupid girl to get lost..." he growled.

Celia sighed. "We'll have to leave her behind," she said, walking past her husband. "No need for us all to get arrested. Besides, she's never seen the Boss's face. She won't be able to talk."

Ivan nodded. "For once we can agree on something. Let's go."

The two scientists walked off with thier grunts, unaware that their daughter was in much more danger than getting arrested by the police.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as the scientists headed off to the exit of the caves, another group was struggling to find their way through the treacherous maze.<p>

Nicole clutched the weak and frightened Clefairy as tightly as she could without hurting the poor thing even more. Nicole didn't know much about Reeds - other than what she had heard on the news in the Pokemon Center - but she knew that whatever had happened to her didn't give her the right to do horrible things like this. The Clefairy was bruised, battered, and terrified, looking up at Nicole with fear filled eyes. The poor Voltorb was no different. The Electric Type was absolutely beaten, too scared to try and escape from the teens.

Nicole sighed as she looked over the two Pokemon in her arms. Both probably needed more medical attention that she could give. Still, she kept them in her arms as they pushed foward, moving closer to their goal. A brilliant, light ahead: the end of the Mt. Moon Tunnels.

"There it is," said Kirby, breathlessly.

"You sure this is a good idea?" asked Nicole.

"Tony's a smart kid," insisted Tayuyu. "He knows to head to the entrance. Besides, if we make it out and he isn't outside, then we can still head to Cerulean and get the police to help us."

Nicole nodded. "With any luck, they'll be more alert and useful than the one by Mt. Moon..." She looked down at the two Pokemon in her arms. "We'll need to get these two to a Pokemon Center too..."

"Well," Kirby said as they drew closer to the entrance. "Here we are..."

They soon exited the caves, and were greeted with warm light of sunset, beaming down on them, and a warm breeze in their faces. After a long, hard day in those caves, it felt great. If they weren't currently in the middle of a life or death situation, Nicole might have smiled. Instead, she settled for a relieved sigh.

"I don't see him," said Kirby, looking around.

Tayuyu felt a wave of hopelessness fill her heart. She shook it off. "We're not done looking yet," she said.

"Let's head down to Cerulean and find the police," said Nicole. "Come on!"

"Hey! Look!" said Tayuyu. "It's a car!" She pointed to the road that wound around the mountain.

Nicole and Kirby's eyes followed Tayuyu's fingers. A green minivan was driving off the road and towards Mt. Moon, parking near the hills that lead up to the cave. A familiar looking brown haired woman and an old man with a fishbowl under his arm walked out.

"Who're they?" asked Nicole.

"It's Tony's Aunt and Pappy!" said Kirby, quickly recognizing them. "Come on!" he said, running down the hill to the van.

"Hey! Mrs. Miller!" shouted Tayuyu, as she and Kirby, followed by Nicole, ran down the hill.

Sally Miller blinked her eyes, staring up at the familiar young lady. "Kirby? Tayuyu?"

The kids reached the bottom of the hill. "Hey, Mrs. Miller," Kirby said, breathlessly.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all safe!" Sally said. "When we saw the news report we drove over here right away!"

"You kids alright?" asked Pappy.

"We're fine," Kirby said. "We're all in one piece."

"Good, good," Sally said. "Who's your friend?" she asked, looking at Nicole.

"Nicole Rogers, ma'am," Nicole said, as politely as she could.

"Nice to meet you," said Sally. "She looked at Tayuyu. "Tayuyu, please... Where is Tony? Did you...?"

Tayuyu bowed her head. She couldn't say anything.

"Oh, no..." muttered Pappy, shaking his head.

Sally buried her face in her hands, her shoulders begining to shake.

"D-don't worry!" said Kirby. "We're gonna head to Cerulean and get the poilce there to help us! We'll form a search party!"

Sally sniffled. "I can't believe I let this happen," she said, starting to sob. "I was supposed to take care of him...!"

"Vol..."

Voltorb hopped out of Nicole's arm, much to her surprise. "Huh? Voltorb?"

The Electric Type floated over to Sally, rubbing against her leg. "Vol..." he said, sadly. The Ball Pokemon felt awful. It was his fault Tony was missing. If only he hadn't knocked him off that cliff...

"Oh?" Sally said, surprised. "Who is this?"

"Uhh, this is Voltorb," said Nicole. "We rescued him from that Reeds nutjob."

Sally picked up the teary eyed Ball Pokemon. "Poor thing..." she muttered.

"This Clefairy was being hurt too," Nicole said, cradelling the Normal Type in her arms. "Those Rockets... How can anyone be so cruel?"

The screeching of tires and the roar of an engine caught their attention.

A large semi truck had just driven off the main road, onto the dirt path. It was the same truck that was at the entrance. Appearently, the driver had finished "fixing the engine".

Nicole unclipped two of her Pokeballs. "Speak of the devil..." she muttered.

Kirby and Tayuyu mimicked her movement. "Do we make the first move?" asked Tayuyu.

As the truck came to a halt, the back opened up. Six Rocket Grunts hopped out, all wearing the black uniforms with the red Rs on their chests. They stalked down the hill, towards the kids and the two adults.

"Hey there," the leader, a young woman said. "Didn't you hear the news? The mountain path is closed for us Rockets!"

"Yeah, I heard," Tayuyu said, coldly. "You're having a contest to see who's the most ugly. Oh, but don't worry, I think you'll win."

The woman's mocking attitude was shattered immidietly. "Oh, is that how you wanna play?" she snarled. "Well fine! We'll just do the hard way!" She looked to the other Rockets. "No witnesses!" she shouted, pulling out a Pokeball. "Sic 'em, Houndour!"

The black dog emerged, growling at the teens. The other Rockets followed suit, sending out Mankey, Zubat, Machop and finally a Raticate.

"Mrs. Miller, Pappy, please stand back," Kirby said. "We'll handle these morons!" He tossed his Pokeball. "Blade, let's go!"

Kirby's Scyther emerged, his swords gleaming as he glared at the Rockets.

"Scy!"

Nicole pulled out her own Pokeball, releasing her Pokemon. "Go, Ember!"

A young, brightly colored Vulpix appeared.

"Vulpix!"

Tayuyu blinked. "I thought you were pyrophobic!" she said.

Nicole peeked out from behind the Miller's car. "I am! Uh, go sic 'em, Ember!"

Ember sighed. "Vul..."

Tayuyu pulled out her own Pokeball. "You punks are out of luck! Go, Kyubi!"

Tayuyu's sleek Ninetails appeared with a flash right next to Ember.

"Raticate, Hyper Fang!" shouted one of the Rockets.

"Ticate!" the Rat Pokemon shouted, as he charged for Ember.

"Ember, Confuse Ray!" shouted Nicole.

"Vulpi!" Ember said, releasing a ray of sinister energy. The attack struck the Raticate, knocking it back. The Rat Pokemon began to chitter and snap at empty air, too confused to attack.

"H-hey!" the grunt shouted. "A little help, guys?" he demanded.

"Houndour, use Crunch!" shouted the female grunt, angrily.

The Houndour howled angrily as he shot at the Vulpix, its mouth wide open.

"Iron Tail, Kyubi!" Tayuyu ordered.

Kyubi shot foward, bashing the Dog Pokemon across the face with all nine of his tails. The Houndour hit the dirt, out cold after only one hit!

"What?" the grunt shouted, surprised. "That's not possible!"

"You're dealing with an ace, ya punk!" shouted Tayuyu.

The grunt gritter heer teeth, glaring at the others. "Help us, you idiots!" she shouted.

Various commands were shouted to the Pokemon of the grunts. The Mankey, Machop, and the Zubat shot foward.

"Blade, use your Steel Wing!" shouted Kirby.

The Mantis Pokemon practically teleported in front of the Zubat and the Mankey, smashing both of them with his metallic wings.

"Now, Slash on Machop!" shouted Kirby.

"Scy!" Blade shouted, swinging a claw at the blue Fighting Type.

"Dodge it Machop!" shouted a grunt. "Hit him with a Rock Slide!"

"Chop!" the Machop shouted, smashing his fists into the earth. Massive boulders ripped their way out and shot towards Blade.

"Use Iron Wing and spin around!" shouted Kirby.

Blade nodded as his wings became steel hard again. He shot foward, spinning like a deadly bladed drill. He quickly tore most of the rocks to shreds, but it was clear that he was at a disadvantage. A single rock struck him in the face and sent him to the ground, crying out in pain.

"Blade!" shouted Kirby, worried. He ran over to help the Scyther up.

"Now, Cross Chop!" the grunt shouted.

The Machop shot at Kirby and Blade, aiming right for the surprised Bird Catcher.

"Kyubi! Flamethrower!" shouted Tayuyu.

The Ninetails unleashed a massive ball of flamed, striking down the Machop before he could reach Kirby, but singing the boy's hair in the process.

"Hot, hot, hot!" Kirby said, patting his hair to put out the flame.

"Sorry!" Tayuyu said, as Kyubi's blast knocked the Machop out. "Yeesh!" she said to the female grunt. "You guys are just _sad_."

"S-shut up!" shouted the grunt, angrily. "I'm a squad commander, I'll have you know!"

"Oh, I'm shaking," said Tayuyu, sarcastically.

"You will be!" snapped the grunt.

"What is going on here?" snapped an angry male voice.

The teens, along with Mrs. Miller and Pappy, turned to see two very angry looking people in lab coats, standing at the mouth of the cave with two more Rocket Grunts.

"I trust you idiots for five mintues, and you've already screwed it up!" snapped the man, his face covered in sweat.

"S-sir!" the grunt stammered.

"Looks like the pharmicist is the boss," muttered Kirby.

"Never liked doctors," Tayuyu said.

"You mean to tell us that you can't handle three brats, an old man, and a woman?" shouted the female scientist, growling.

The male scientist pulled out a Pokeball. "Guess I have to do everything myself," he muttered. "Magneton, deploy!"

The Steel/Electric Type appeared, charging for the teens. "Thunder Attack!" shouted the man.

"Ton," Magneton said, firing off a massive burst of Thunder.

The group screamed and ducked as the blast flew overhead, narrowly missing them.

"Mrs. Miller!" Kirby said. "Get into the car and drive away! Go get help!"

"B-but I can't-!" Sally stammered.

"Dang it, Sally!" shouted Pappy. "This ain't the time to be hesistatin'!"

"Right!" Sally said, with a deep breath. "Alright!," she told Pappy. "Let's go!"

"You go," Pappy said. "I'm staying with the kids!"

"But, Pappy-!" Sally said, not wanting the old man to get hurt.

"No buts!" Pappy snapped. "Go!"

Sally hesitated, and then nodded. "O-okay, Pappy! But please be careful!" She turned and began to run to the car.

"Skarmory! Hyper Beam!"

A beam of energy shot overhead, striking the car. The teens screamed as they jumped away, the vehicle exploding. The female scientist and had sent out her own Pokemon, a vicious Steel/Flying type called Skarmory, with razor sharp claws and hooked, jagged beak. The creature easily destroyed the Miller's family car, a massive explosion ripping through the air.

Sally screamed as she was tossed to her back, out cold after the blast. Thankfully, she hadn't been too close to the car, otherwise she'd have been killed by either the shockwave or the shrapnel. The woman was sprawled out on the floor moaning in shock in pain. The Voltorb in her arms began to panic, rolling around her frantically.

"Mrs. Miller!" shouted Kirby, horrified.

"Don't worry! We'll save you!" Nicole shouted, charging over to the out cold woman.

"Thunder!"

An electrical burst shot over Nicole's head, barely missing her. The lass hit the ground, surprised and frightened.

"You kids should've just walked away," the male scientist snarled. "But it's too late for that now!"Nicole struggled to stand. Her ears were ringing, and her legs felt shaky. The poor Clefairy looked awful too. She was terrified and covered in dust. Her eyes were closed and she was shaking in fear as the battle raged on. "It's okay," cooed Nicole, more to herself than to the Pokemon.

"Cle..." the Clefairy cried.

The Magneton drew closer and closer to the group, buzzing in its strange way. The Skarmory circled around the field, ready to tear out the kid's throats.

"Alright," Tayuyu said, angrily. "Let's do this! Kyubi, Flamethrower!"

* * *

><p>"And that's how I ended up here," Tobias finished.<p>

Tobias, along with Tony and the unconcious Kelly, followed closely by the still nervous Tochu, Phantom and Alph. They had been hiking for about an hour already, stopping only to rest their arms and check on Kelly. The girl was still alive, but she didn't look good. She was sweating all over the place and her face was bright red. She still looked very calm though, which was a blessing. Panic would only speed up the venom.

Tobias had pretty much given Tony the complete rundown on everything that had happened to him since this morning. He had told the Bug Catcher all about his quest to find a Dome Fossil, and his run-in with the nefarious Team Rocket.

"Yeesh," Tony said, exhausted. "That's a lot of trouble for a fossil."

"I'd climb a hundred more mountains to find another one!" declared Tobias proudly.

"Okay, okay!" Tony said. "Calm down. No fossil is worth dying for."

"This one is!" Tobias declared. "It's... it's for someone special..."

"That so?" Tony asked. "Who?"

"...My girlfriend..."

Tony blinked. "_You_ have a _girlfriend_?" he asked, surprised.

"And why wouldn't I?" snapped Tobias, almost dropping Kelly.

"Sorry, sorry!" Tony said. "It's just... Well..."

Tobias sighed. "Yeah, I know, the glasses, the skinny body, the superior intellegence... That does drive most women away. (**A/N: Sorry if that's inaccurate!**) But... Well, this girl is something special. Really special. And she told me a long time ago how she always wanted a fossil. Her birthday's coming up soon, and she'll be in Cerulean tomorrow. That's why we have to hurry and get out of here!"

"Oh," Tony said. He was never very good when it came to relationships with boys and girls. "Well, we'd better Kelly out too. She needs help fast!"

"Right!" said Tobias. "Let's hurry!" he said, as the two boys, though exhausted, picked up the pace.

"Paras..."

Tony looked down at Tochu, who was walking beside him. "Heya, Tochu," he said. "What's the matter?"

Tochu didn't answer. His eyes were on the floor. Spores were lying on the earth, leading down the path that they ventured. This was the way to the entrance of the caves as well. The swarm was this way, they had to be.

But would they be happy to see one of their own with a surface dweller?

He shook the thought away. Just get rid of the surface dwellers and everything would be fine.

"Jeez," Tony said, pulling his attention away from the Paras. "Kelly isn't looking so good..." He placed a hand on her head. "She's burning up!"

"How about we give her some water?" asked Tobias as they placed the litter down.

Tony shook his head. "The canteen's out," he said, unhappily.

"Mine too," Tobias moaned. "What are we gonna do?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't..." He paused. "Hey!"

"What?" Tobias asked.

"Kelly's backpack!" said Tony, picking the pack off of Kelly's outcold body. "Maybe she has some water!"

"She could..." Tobias said. Normally neither he nor Tony would go into a woman's bag without asking, but, hey, life or death is life or death. Sometimes, manners had to be less strict in a situation like this.

Tony peered into the bag. His eyes widened. "I don't believe it!" he said, angrily, as he peered inside the bag. "I don't believe it!"

"What?" Tobias asked. "What is it?"

Tony reached into the bag and pulled out a laptop. "She had a computer this whole time!" he said. He quickly flipped it open and began typing. "I'll try to email my aunt!"

Tobias rolled his eyes. "We're several feet underground. There's no wifi connection!"

"Pika! Chu!" said Phantom, as if it were obvious even to a Pokemon.

"Par ras paras?" Tochu asked. Par as sara?" (What's a wifi? Is it tasty?) (A/N: Is it indeed?)

Phantom facepalmed. "Pi..." (Oi...)

Tony moaned unhappily. "Great, a useless computer and to top it off, she doesn't have a canteen!" He rubbed his eyes. "Why am I not surprised?" he grumbled.

Tobias groaned. "Now we really have to speed up!" he moaned. "We don't want her dying of dehydration!"

"Alright, break's over!" Tony told the Pokemon. "We have to get moving! Tochu, lead the way!" he said, as he and Tobias gripped the litter again, carrying Kelly down the cave path.

Tochu groaned as he began to crawl again. This surface dweller was insane. They had been walking for hours, tired, hungry and now without any water. He felt his mushrooms gasp and beg for a single drop of precious liquid. But no. They couldn't have any.

Tochu sighed for the millionth time that day. He _hated_ his life.

The Paras rounded the corner to the next tunnel.

Then, he froze and slowly crawled back, chittering nervously.

"Tochu?" asked Tony. "What-?"

"Shh!" ordered Tobias. "Do you hear...?"

CLOP. CLOP. CLOP.

Footsteps. Lots of them.

Tony and Tobias slowly peered out from the tunnel.

A large group of Rocket grunts were leading a large group of sobbing and trembling, tied and gagged hostages.

Tony's eyes widened. He stopped breathing.

Leading them, was Kayla Reeds.

And she looked _very_ unhappy.

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh... Wifi is not tasty...<strong>

**Anyways, after a long absence (sorry) I've updated again! Thanks for the wait, and I'd like some reviews!**

**Oh, and by the way, check out my dA profile for some awesome Pokemon art that I've been making! Thanks!**


	19. Ninja Nerd!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tayuyu, Nicole, Kirby, Pappy and Sally were caught in a fierce and violent battle with Team Rocket. Meanwhile, Tony and Tobias travelled through the caves of Mt. Moon, only to find notorious psychotic mind Kayla Reeds, leading a group of Rockets and hostages out of the caves! **

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Tony felt his blood run cold. Kayla Reeds, the one who wanted him to die slowly, was coming this way. A huge scowl was on her lips. She probably wouldn't be happy to see Tony alive. Not at all.<p>

"Paras?"

"Shh!" snapped Tony, as quietly as he could, to Tochu. He placed a hand over the Pokemon's mandibles.

"Raak?"

"SHH!" Tony repeated. He inwardly began to panic. Neither Tochu nor Alph had ever seen Kayla before. They didn't know what she was capable of.

"Hey..." Tobias said. "Isn't that...?"

"What part of 'Shh!' don't you understand!" hissed Tony, who had run out of hands to cover peoples' mouths with. "Be quiet!"

The Rockets began to pass them as they hid in the tunnel's entryway, the sobbing and hystarical hostages forced to follow.

"They've got hostages..." muttered Tony.

"Great..." muttered Tobias. "This day just keeps getting better and better..." He sighed. "All this for a fossil?"

"Shh!"

"Sorry..."

Kayla growled and muttered to herself as she stalked down the cave, looking very grouchy. The grunts followed, keeping their distance and making sure not to talk to the woman. The hostages were panicky and terrified, not sure if they'd live to see tomorrow.

Finally, they were out of sight. Tony let out a small breath of relief.

"Holy..." Tobias muttered. "Wasn't that...?"

"Kayla Reeds, renowned terrorist and psychopath, yes," Tony said.

Tobias turned pale. "...Oh, boy..."

"We gotta save those trainers," Tony muttered. "Kayla doesn't seem like the type to let a hostage live. We'd better hurry before she ices them!" Tony took off like a shot...

...And was promptly grabbed by Tobias.

"H-hey!" Tony said. "Don't tell me you're afraid!"

"I am... for _her_," Tobias said, pointing to Kelly. The silverhead was still out cold on her streatcher. "Don't tell me you forgot about your friend!" Tobias said.

Tony sweatdropped. "Oh, right..." he muttered. "Uh, she's not my friend, really. I've only just met her."

Tobias peeked out again. "Alright," he said. "We need a plan. Attacking them head on is just suicide, for us and the hostages."

"Great..." Tony muttered. "I'll take it the boy genuis has a plan?"

Tobias pulled out a Pokeball. "I always do," he said, opening it. "Virtue, I need your help!"

A sleek red Growlithe appeared. "Groww!" he barked.

"Virtue," Tobias said. "I need your help. You ready?"

"Groow!"

"Great! Then use Dig!"

* * *

><p>Kayla Reeds had a lot of bad days.<p>

Of course, she usually was the one who inflicted pain and suffering upon her adoring public, but sometimes things just didn't turn out her way. It made her cranky. Normally, this wasn't a big deal. She'd go to whatever apartment she had rented, drink whatever she had at hand, watch the news to see who had died recently, and then have a fun night of self-mutilation to cheer her up. But today, it was different. Today, she had lost her new rival.

Tony Miller, that blonde, blue eyed, little goody-goody who had faced her and won. Now, he was gone.

There wasn't a night that didn't go by for Kayla where she didn't think of that incident, all those weeks ago, where Tony had managed to form a group of unlikely heroes and take her down. Every night she thought about his happy little face, his cheeky little grin, and his... "friends" and "family"...

It made Kayla feel ill.

The raven headed woman sighed as she walked down the tunnels. No more fantasies of killing him. No more plans for mental torture. She had lost her chance to show him the real world, and what a black, dark, ugly place is really, really was.

"Um... Ma'am?"

Kayla didn't turn around to speak to the grunt. "Hmm?" she murmered.

"The hostages are kind of... getting noisy..." the grunt said.

"Yes," Kayla said. "I can hear them screaming from up her, thank you."

It was true. Despite their gags, the hostages were still managing to be very noisy. Not that it bothered Kayla. Screams of anguish were on par with Beethoven to her, even if they were muffled.

"Well..." the Rocket said. "I'm just saying... Since we don't need them anymore... Why don't we... Let 'em loose?"

Kayla paused. "Oh..." she said, in a scolding tone. "Oh, my dear little... Uh..."

"105, ma'am," the grunt said, nervously.

"105," Kayla finished. "Do you really, really think that we should let them loose? Didn't they teach you anything in stupid thug 101? When the hostage outlives his or her usefulness, you SHOOT THEM!" she shouted suddenly, frightening the hostages and Rockets alike. "Don't tell me you're going soft on me," Kayla cooed.

"Uh... No ma'am, I'm not," the grunt said, frightened.

Kayla shoved him aside. "Good," she said, walking over to the hostages, pulling out a razor sharp knife. "Well, then," she said, breathlessly. "Who's first?" She quickly caught sight of the lass who begged her not to steal her Oddish. "I think I'll go with you first," she said, grabbing the sobbing girl.

"Ma'am," one the grunts said, nervously. "Uh... the Doc said to let 'em live..."

"Ah, kiddo," Kayla said. "Live a little, why don't you?" She held the knife up to the girl's throat. "Don't worry, I'll finish this up quick. I'm in a mood today, see."

"String Shot!"

A sticky strand of webbing came into contact with Kayla's face, quickly smothering her with webbing. The mercernary growled amd grunted as she pulled the webbing off of her face. "Who-!" she began, turning to face her attacker.

She froze.

Tony Miller was standing before her, with a Spinarak on his shoulder. The boy was grinning the ever-present cock-sure grin at her. "Heya, Kayla," he said.

Kayla blinked. "You're... alive?"

Tony shrugged. "Sorry. Maybe you're losing your touch."

"Maybe I am..." Kayla said, smiling widely. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on the hostages," she told the grunts. Then, she charged at Tony, who quickly turned around and fled, Spinarak and all.

Kayla laughed. "Oh, come on, Tony!" she shouted as she chased him. "We both know how this is gonna end!"

"Sure," panted Tony as he struggled to outrun the woman. "We both do. I get away, and you go back to the looney-bin!"

"Puh-lease!" Kayla replied as she began to catch up. "You really think locking me up is gonna stop me? Or save you? There's nothing you can do to save yourself, kiddo! I'm gonna catch you eventually~!"

"That's what I'm counting on," Tony muttered as he ran faster and faster.

"Should we help...?" asked one of the grunts.

"You crazy, or just plain stupid!" asked another. "If you wanna go and ruin that wacko's fun, be my guest. Just don't expect us to come to the funereal!"

The other grunt growled. "You wanna take this outside?"

The lass began sobbing again, still horrified.

"Aww, shut up!" a grunt said.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, that's no way to talk to a lady!" a voice said, surprising the grunts.

"Who said that?" the first demanded.

The ground in front of them exploded, showering them with dirt. Tobias grinned as he leaped out of the hole with his Growlithe Virtue by his side and Tony's Paras Tochu on his head.

"What the-? Ninja nerd!" the first grunt said, confused.

"That's smarter than average ninja to you, punk!" Tobias said. "Stun Spore, Tochu!"

Tochu shook his mushrooms, sending a cloud of spores into the Rockets, who began to cough and hack. They quickly fell to the floor, feeling numb. Thankfully, the hostages had gags that kept them from inhaling the spores.

Tobias shot foward, pushing two grunts aside. "Tochu, see if you can Scratch them out!"

"P-paras..." Tochu muttered. Not only did he have to travel with surface dwellers, now he had to free them too? Life was so unfair. But he did as he was ordered, quickly severing the human ropes with his sharp pincirs.

"We're free!" a hiker shouted.

"Quick!" the lass said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Let's get our Pokemon back!"

Tobias quickly wrenched the bag of Pokeballs from a grunts twitching fingers. "Got 'em!" he said, tossing the bag to the trainers.

The trainers were quick to pull our their Pokeballs and release their Pokemon.

"Rocky!" the Hiker sobbed as he hugged his Geodude. "You're safe!"

"Oddy!" the lass cried, tears streaming from her eyes as she hugged the Oddish tightly.

"Sniffle... My Jinx," said a beauty, hugging the bizaare Pokemon she had thought she had lost forever.

"Splinter!" a youngtser said, grabbing his happy Ratatta.

"Come on!" Tobias shouted. "This is no time to stick around! We need to get to the exit, and fast!"

The hiker stood up. "I know the way, young man!" he declared. "I'll get us there! You go help your friend!"

"Alright!" Tobias said. "But first..." He walked back over to the hole that Virtue had dug and reached inside. After a few seconds of pulling, he pulled out Kelly's out cold body.

"OH MY GOSH, ZOMBIE!" the beauty shrieked.

"What? No!" Tobias said. "This is Kelly. She's been poisoned, and she needs help quickly! So..." He put the girl in the hiker's arms. "Get to that, please." He ran after Tony, with Tochu and Virtue in hot pursuit. "Hurry!" he shouted.

The hiker nodded, slinging Kelly over his shoulder. "Let's go!" he said, pointing dramitcally.

"Yeah!" the other trainers shouted.

They quickly ran away, leaving the paralyzed Rocket Grunts on the floor.

"Ough..."

"Man..."

"I knew I shouldn't have quit my job at the Waffle House..."

* * *

><p>"Pant... Pant... Pant..."<p>

Tony gasped as he ran down the tunnels, his feet pounding the dirt floor as he struggled to get away. Kayla was in hot pursuit, her heavier footsteps on a short distance away. Tony wanted to see how far ahead he was, but he didn't dare look back to check. He had a horrible feeling that if he did look back, Kayla would be directly behind him, ready to grab at him. So, he kept running. Never looking back.

Ahead, he saw a fork in the road. Two seperate tunnels. He could faintly see light coming from one, meaning that it led outside, just where he wanted to go.

Before he could head to the exit, a body slammed into him. Kayla's body. She takcled the boy, forcing him to the ground and sending Alph flying.

"You didn't think I'd just let you go, did you?" Kayla asked breathlessly.

Alph got up, angrily, firing off a String Shot. Kayla casually dodged and then kicked the bug aside. "You know, we have really got to stop running into each other like this," she said.

"Maybe if you left me alone, we could," Tony said.

"Hmm... No." Kayla grabbed him by the throat and tossed him into the other tunnel, send him farther away from freedom. The second tunnel led down a very steep slope, and he could hear water rushing in the distance. It likely lead back down to the river he had nearly drowned in before.

Tony hit the dirt floor with a grunt, struggling to stand. Kayla quickly pinned him underneath her larger body, grabbing him by the throat. "You wanna know something?" she asked. "I got a call from Ivy-Poo earlier, and he said that he was taking down a group of annoying kids that fit the description of your 'friends'." She grinned down at him. "I think you're not gonna have anyone to save in a few minutes."

Tony growled and kicked at Kayla's legs, struggling to escape.

Kayla laughed. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be sure to scrape what's left of them off the ground, and see to it that it's delivered to their families. Though, I don't think the post office delivers bloody slop. Probably some law against it." She shrugged before wrapping her hands around Tony's throat, choking him. "Now," she growled. "Where. Were. _We_?"

"Now Virtue, Takedown!"

"Groww!"

A Growlithe collided with Kayla, knocking her off Tony and send her to the ground. She stood up slowly, snarling. "I really hate Growlithe..." she muttered.

Tony gritted his teeth. "String Shot, Alph!" he ordered.

The bruised Spinarak obeyed, wrapping up Kayla's legs with webbing. Tony roared as he shot foward and jumped into the air, delivering a flying kick to Kayla's body.

Kayla gritted her teeth as she grabbed Tony's leg and threw him to the ground, before quickly wrapping her arm around him and pulling him up, pulling her knife out and placing it up to his throat. "Not another move, geek," she snarled.

Tobias froze.

"Back. Off," Kayla growled.

Tobias raised his hands, stepping back. "Okay, sure. Let's be reasonable about this. No one needs to get hurt."

"That's too bad," Kayla said. "Because I would really, really like to see someone get hurt!" She raised the knife and jabbed it at Tony's throat.

Then, the wall exploded.

Dust and gravel showered everywhere, blinding the humans. Tony and Tobias covered their eyes, while Kayla simply looked on, wondering what was going on.

A massive shape emerged from the rubble. "GOLEM!"

A huge creature walked out from the dust, right past Tobias. It was a turtle-like monster with a rocky shell around his body. He had sharp fangs, sharp claws, and bright red eyes.

"A Golem!" said Tobias, startled.

Tony pulled out his Pokedex, despite being in Kayla's arms. **"Golem, the Megaton Pokemon. Golem is the final form of Geodude, and may only evolve to this form if it moves to another mountain to live, or if it is traded to another trainer. It's rocky shell is so thick that even armor piercing rounds and heavy artillery cannot pierce it. It travels by rolling into a ball and rolling about, or by using Self Destruct to launch itself to another mountain. This specimen is male, roughly twenty years old, and knows the moves Flamethrower, Dig, Earthquake and Explosion."**

"Whoa..." Tobias said, forgetting the situation for a second.

"Golem, use Earthquake!" commanded a male voice.

The Golem roared as he smashed his foot on the ground, causing Kayla to stumble back, losing her grip on Tony who swiftly crawled away.

The dust in front of the tunnel's new entrance cleared to reveal...

"Brock!" Tony said, relieved.

The dark skinned man grinned. "Heya, Tony. Katie told me you might need some help. Me and Golem came in to see if we could fine you. I saw a group of trainers run by with some out cold girl who told me that a blonde kid had distracted a psycho lady from killing them, and then a ninja nerd or something like that beat up some Rocket Grunts. I found the grunts on my way down, and figured you'd be this way. Guess I was right! Good thing I was here to save you, huh?"

"Yeah, it is!" Tobias said, relieved. "Thanks, sir."

Brock turned to Tobias. "Hey, didn't you challenge my Gym a few months ago?"

"Yeah, I did," Tobias said. "Uh, I'm Tobias, remember?"

"Right, Tobias," Brock said. "Well, nice to see you all again!"

"Uh... Brock?" Tony said, pointing over to Kayla. The woman had pulled out a gun, and was getting up, pointing it at the Gym Leader.

"Wow!" Brock said. "Golem, Earthquake!"

"Golem!" snarled the Rock Type, smashing his foot into the ground again.

"Gah!" Kayla said, as she fell over, losing her grip on her gun. She lost her footing and fell into the sloped tunnel, sliding down the steep path. She screamed in anger as she dissapeared into the darkness. After a tense silence, they heard a loud splash. Kayla had fallen into the underground river!

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. "She's gone..."

"Jeez," Brock said. "I didn't mean to knock her down a hole."

"Oh, trust me," Tobias said. "That was a good thing."

Tochu chose this minute to crawl into the room, trembling in fear as he caught sight of the massive Golem. "Heya, Tochu," Tony greeted, patting him on the head. "You did great back there! We couldn't have pulled it off without you!" He gave Alph a quick pat too. "You too, Alph!" He pulled out Alph's Pokeball. "Take a break," he told the Spinarak.

"Raak," Alph said, as he vanished into the Pokeball, leaving a confused Tochu behind. The Paras looked up at Tony, unsure of what had happened to Alph.

"Sorry," Tony said with a shrug. "I don't want to use Alph too much. He's really tired. Looks like it's just you and me for now."

"Paras..." Tochu muttered.

"Good job, Golem!" Brock said, patting his Pokemon on the head.

"Good job, Virtue!" said Tobias, patting the Puppy Pokemon before returning him to his Pokeball.

"Alright," Tony said. "We need to head out quick! Kayla said that other Rockets were outside and fighting my friends!"

"Don't worry," Brock said. "I sent Katie to give them a hand. She'll deal with them!"

"...Katie?" Tony said, not sure.

"Ah, don't worry," Brock said. "Katie's smarter than she lets on. She's pretty skilled too."

"Okay..." Tony said. "But what about Kelly?"

"Who's Kelly?" asked Brock, confused. "Is she pretty? Single? Eligible?"

"Uh... Sort of, don't know, and I'm pretty sure not," Tobias said, sweatdropping.

Brock sighed. "Aww..."

"Kelly's with the group of hostages and their Pokemon," said Tobias. "She'll be fine. They're heading towards the main exit to Cerulean now!"

Tony didn't exactly feel enthusiastic about letting a few strangers take an out cold Kelly around, but then again, she was a stranger to him too. "Alright," he said. "Let's go! With Brock on our side, those punks don't stand a chance!"

"Right!" Tobias said, adjusting his glasses.

"Let's do it!" Brock shouted.

The trio and their Pokemon ran to the exit of the cave, ready to take the Rockets down.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, several feet underground...<p>

Kayla growled angrily as she pulled herself out of the cold water. She kicked a few Magikarp out of the way as she crawled to the rocky shore.

"Why is it... That everyone... Feels it is necessary... To interupt... My fun?" she snarled, spitting water out of her mouth.

Silence and rushing water were her only answer.

She looked at the tunnel she had come down. Much too steep to climb back up for a human. She'd have to try something else.

She reached into her coat and pulled out a Pokeball, opening it up. A Raticate appeared, chittering angrily at being woken up.

"You," Kayla said. "Dig us out. Now."

The Raticare stuck his tongue out smugly.

Kayla pulled out her gun and pointed it at the Rat Pokemon, his smugness vanishing. "That. Wasn't. A. _Request_!" she snapped. "Dig. _Now!"_

"Ticate!" the Raticate said, terrified. He began to dig away at the wall of his legs and teeth.

Kayla curled up next to him as he worked, angered, soaking wet and in the mood to shoot something.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Why did Tony keep slipping through her fingers?

She clenched her fists. She would have killed him by now if it wasn't for his friends always interfering, or some idiot slip-up from her Pokemon.

She sighed as she took out her knife, twirling it in her fingers. Life was so unfair to her...

TINK!

"Ti... Ticate?"

Kayla rolled her eyes. "What is it you worthless-?" she snapped, looking into the small hole Raticate had dug.

She paused.

Wasn't that...?

Kayla wasn't very good with fossils (due to have never been able to go to school) but she knew one when she saw one. And that was an odd fossil. It looked nothing like the ones she had seen at the briefing...

Where had she seen the shape before...?

"Raticate..." Kayla said.

The Rat turned pale. "Ti... Ticate?"

Kayla smiled. "Methinks you just found something useful." She pulled out her knife. "Let's chip it out..."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there was another exciting chapter of Tony's Journey! We got a ninja nerd, rescued some hostages, and Kayla found a fossil! What could this fossil be?<strong>

**Will Katie be able to save Tayuyu, Nicole and Kirby, along with Pappy and Sally? Or will Ivan and Celia have the last laugh? Will Kelly be okay, or will she succumb to the poison? **

**Find out next time!**


	20. Mt Moon Finale Part 1!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**After a near death experience with Rocket Grunts and Kayla Reeds, Tobias and Tony, along with their trusty Pokemon, save the hostages, and themselves are saved by Brock and his Golem. Now, they go to save Tony's friends and family from Team Rocket outside! Meanwhile, Kayla has found a fossil, as Katie flies to save the day!**

**What will happen? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>"Magneton! Use Thunder!"<p>

"Ton..."

"Dodge it and use Flamethrower, Blaze!"

"Char!"

"Tear that Vulpix apart, Skarmory! Peck!"

"Skar!"

"Ember, use Ember! ...But not too hot..."

"Vulpi!"

"Tim, I know you hate to fight, but I need your help! Sand Attack!"

"Far!"

Energy beams sailed through the sky. Dust clouds filled the air, along with smoke and poisonous gases.

The fight was not going well for the kids. The Rockets had them outnumbered. The two scientists had insanely powerful Pokemon, and the Rockets were throwing out more Pokemon. While the Rockets had weaker Pokemon, there were a lot of them, allowing them to surround the kids. Sally was still outcold, thankfully far enough from the battle to avoid being hit, and Pappy was angrily hiding behind the truck with Nicole, unhappy that he couldn't help with the battle.

Tayuyu gritted her teeth as Ivan's Magneton struck Blaze with a fierce Thunderbolt once more, knocking the poor Charizard to the ground. She ran over to the Charizard and helped her to stand up. "You okay, girl?" she asked, helping the Charizard up.

"Char..." groaned Blaze, already badly battered.

"Come on, we can do this..." Tayuyu said. "Try another Flamethrower!"

The Charizard's eyes widened. "Char!" she said, pushing Tayuyu aside.

Tayuyu grunted in surprise and pain as she hit the ground, and a massive blast of Thunder struck Blaze. If the Charizard hadn't shoved Tayuyu aside, she'd have been electrocuted too.

"Char..." groaned Blaze as she fell to the ground, lightning coursing through her body as she was knocked out.

"Blaze!" Tayuyu shouted. "Return, girl!" she said, placing the Pokemon into her Pokeball.

Celia gritted her teeth as she tossed another Pokeball out. "Porygon, deploy!"

The Virtual Pokemon appeared, floating above the ground with a vacant expression on its face. "Use Discharge!" Celia ordered.

The Porygon began to spark and shake like it was having a severe malfunction, before unleashing a flurry of lightning blasts, straight at its enemies. The kids and their Pokemon dodged and panicked as the flurry of lighting struck the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

Celia gritted her teeth. "Missed..." she growled at the Porygon.

"What?" Ivan said suddenly. The man was listening to his walkie talkie, angrily growling as he heard a report from the grunts in the tunnels. "You idiots! How could anyone slip up so badly!" He turned off the walkie and threw it aside in rage. "Those... morons!"

"What is it now?" groaned Celia.

"Those idiots in the caves just lost our hostages!" snapped Ivan. "A Gym Leader is on his way, and the police are likely on their way too!"

Celia's eyes widened. This operation was turning out to be riskier than she had believed. "If the police arrive, we'll be completely exposed," she muttered.

"We need another hostages," Ivan said, nodding.

Celia looked out onto the battlefield. The kids were still giving their Pokemon commands as they struggled to take out the Rocket Pokemon. There were only to people who weren't doing anything: the old man and the unconcious woman.

Celia chose the woman. "Skarmory! Grab that woman!" she ordered the bird.

"Skar!" screeched Skarmory, shooting right for Sally.

"No!" shouted Kirby. "Stop that Skarmory!"

"Ember, use Ember!" shouted Nicole, peeking out from behind the car.

The Vulpix nodded, unleashing a small flurry of fireballs from her mouth.

With a screeching laugh, the Skarmory dodged them with ease, before shooting down, talons ready to grab at Sally.

"Vol! Torb!"

The maltreated Voltorb leaped in front of Sally, sparks flying from his body as he narrowed his eyes. "Volt!" he buzzed.

The Skarmoy shrieked, its own eyes narrowing as it divebombed towards the Voltorb, talons outstreatched.

"Watch out!" shouted Kirby.

"Sally!" shouted Pappy, horrified.

The sparks flying from Voltorb grew brighter and faster. "Vol!" it shouted, challenging the Skarmory to come and get it.

Sally's eyes slowly cracked open as she woke up, moaning in pain. "Wha...?" she gasped, looking at the Voltorb. Then, she looked up and saw the Skarmory. "Wha...?" she gasped, struggling to stand.

"Skarmory, get her!" snapped Celia, losing her patience with the two Pokemon having a glare-down.

"Skarr!" Skarmory shrieked, divebombing Sally at the speed of a jet plane.

"Vol..." Voltorb snarled, leapig into the air. "TORB!"

A blast of thunder the size of a minivan shot out and struck Skarmory head on. The bird gave a ear-shattering shriek as the attack tore through his iron defenses like a hot knife through halfway melted butter.

"Skar..." the Skarmory said, plummeting to the earth, out cold.

"Vol... Torb..." the Voltorb gasped. The beating from Reeds earlier had taken a lot out of him.

A soft hand touched him. He turned to see Sally, a small grateful smile on her face. "Thank you," she said.

"Phew," Kirby said. "That was close..."

"Good job, Voltorb!" shouted Pappy, saluting the Eletric Type.

"It's not over yet, you troublesome fools!" snapped Ivan.

Celia growled. "Now, use Hyper Beam, Porygon!"

Porgyon beeped in response, taking aim at the currently Pokemonless Tayuyu.

The red head gritted her teeth as the Virtual Pokemon charged up an energy beam. "Mach-!" she said, desprately, reaching for her Pokeball.

"Too late!" snarled Celia. "Fire away!"

The Porygon raised its head, the energy beam ready to fire, when...

KA-BOOM!

A massive Hyper Beam from up above struck the Porygon, sending it flying through the air before hitting the ground, out cold.

"What the-!" Ivan began.

"Prepared for trouble?" a female voice rang out.

A Pidgeot shot through the air, a red headed trainer on its back.

Katie grinned as her Pidgeot Athena readied another Hyper Beam. "Well let's make it double!" she shouted.

"Pidgeot!" shouted Athena, agreeing as she fire off another Hyper Beam at Ivan's Magneton, knocking the Electric Type out with a swift blow.

"Alright, Katie!" Kirby cheered.

"Never thought I'd be glad to see you..." Tayuyu muttered, impressed.

"Alright, let's clobber these losers!" Katie shouted.

"Right!" said Kirby. "Tim, let's help her out!" he shouted, charging towards Ivan and Celia. "Mrs. Miller, Pappy! Keep covered!"

"R-right!" Sally said, crawling behind the car with Pappy and Nicole. "I'll be safe with Voltorb!"

"Vol!" Voltorb promised.

"Stay put!" shouted Kirby. "Let's go, Tim!"

"Fetch!" Tim shouted, the Wood Duck Pokemon following his trainer loyally.

Tayuyu pulled out another Pokeball. "Mach, let's go!" she shouted.

"Machamp!" shouted Mach, as he appeared. He smashed all four of his fists together angrily.

"Ember, you go too!" said Nicole from behind the car. She pulled out another Pokeball. "Here! Have some help! Go, Atlanta!"

The blue Vaporeon appeared in a flash. "Vapor!"

Ivan growled. "You punks are asking for it!" he snarled, pulling another Pokeball out. "Go, Electrode!"

"Porygon 2! Go!" snapped Celia, tossing her own Pokeball out.

Both Pokemon emerged from their balls as their trainers charged for the teens. Electrode was a larger version of Voltorb with a cock-sure grin on his face, while Porygon 2 was a larger, smoother version of Porygon. Both Pokemon followed their trainers as they charged towards the kids, ready to end the Pokemon battle once and for all.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the caves, another group of heroes was on its way to help. Tired, filthy, soaked with sweat, and only half way awake, Tony Miller still refused to lay down and quit. His tired feet pounded the dirt floor of Mt. Moon, Tobias and Brock beside him, all of their Pokemon at the ready. Soon, they caught sight of it. The light. The exit to Mt. Moon, leading to the road that ;ead to Cerulean City.<p>

Tony gave a gasp of relief as he felt the warm evening air wash over his skin. "We made it," he said, breathlessly.

"Good," Brock said. "Come on, no time to waste! Let's go, Golem!"

"Gol!"

"I agree! This ends here!" Tobias declared. "Let's go, Virtue!"

"Grow!" the Growlithe said.

"Right," Tony said. "Come on, Tochu, let's... Tochu?"

Tony turned around to see the Paras was slowly crawling away, quiet as he could be. "Tochu, where you going?" Tony asked.

"Par..." groaned Tochu, noticing he had been seen.

"Come on, Tochu!" said Tony. "Don't you want to come with us?"

Tochu turned around, backing away from Tony with his arms raised. It was his defensive position.

"Looks like he doesn't want to go," Tobias said.

"You caught that Paras today, right?" asked Brock.

"Yeah, I did," Tony said, nodding.

"That would explain it then," Brock said. "Paras generally live underground. This little guy's probably never been outside before. He must be afraid of the sunlight. He's probbaly never even seen a human before."

"Oh, jeez," Tony said. "Never thought about it that way."

"Well, we can't just wait for the sun to set," Tobias said. "We have to get going!"

Tony heard an explosion roar from a short distance away. He felt his heart beat faster. "Alright," he said. "If Tochu doesn't want to come, fine then. We'll just have to go on without him," he said, feeling dissapointed. He had really wanted to train the Mushroom Pokemon, and a Grass Type would really be handy in his gym battle against Misty Waterflower. Still, he couldn't force the Pokemon to fight for him. "Alright, Tochu, you win," he told the Paras.

"Ras?" Tochu said, confused and cautious.

"You don't wanna come along with me, and that's fine," Tony continued. "I'll just go on without you. You're free to go." He turned around. "Seeya," he said, opening Alph's Pokeball.

The Spinarak appeared, battered, bruised and tired. "Spina...?" he moaned.

"Sorry, Alph," Tony apologized. "I'm gonna need your help again."

"Raaak..." sighed Alph.

Suddenly, Brock shouted, surprising the boy and his bugs. "Look out!"

The Rock Trainer grabbed Tony and hurled him to the ground, right as a Hyper Beam shot over head, striking the roof of the cave. Rocks began to crumble down from the shattered ceiling.

"Wow!" Tobias said, terrified. "Look out!"

"Golem, use Strength!" shouted Brock.

The Rock Type roared as he grabed the ceiling, struggling to hold it up as it crumbled away.

"PARAS!"

Tony turned to see Tochu, jumping back and forth, and struggling to keep away from the massive boulders that were falling from the ceiling.

"Oh, no, Tochu!" Tony shouted. "Alph, use String Shot!"

"Raak!" Alph shouted, shooting out a sticky strand of gooey web. He grabbed Tochu and easily pulled him out from the rubble. Unfortunetly, he pulled a little too hard. Tochu collided with Alph and was sent rolling out to the entrance of the cave, falling down out into the sunlit world outside with an unhappy squeal.

Alph stood up, his legs shaky. "Alright," Tony said, pulling out his Pokeball again. "No question about it, Alph. You need a rest."

"Raak," Alph said gratefully, returning to the Pokeball.

"Come on!" Brock shouted. "Golem can't hold this up much longer!"

"Right!" Tony and Tobias shouted, as they quickly followed Brock outside the cave. The warm fleeting sunset's light warmed their skins as they quickly stepped out.

Tobias looked down to the battlefield below. A group of kids he had never seen before were fighting off a couple of Rocket Grunts, and...

Tobias's eyes widened. "I don't believe it!" he said. "It's those jerk scientists from before!"

Brock's eyes widenend. "Are they?" he asked. "I recognize those two..."

"Hey!" Tony shouted, his eyes wide. "Is that...?"

It was. Hiding behind the family car was Pappy and Aunt Sally, hidden from the fierce battle along with Nicole, who was shouting orders to a small Vulpix. The two scientists were approaching the car with two odd Pokemon.

**"Porygon and Porygon 2,"** the Pokedex said. **"The Virtual Pokemon. First created twenty years ago by the Silph Corporation, these virtual creatures are made of solidified data. They cannot be obtained in the wild, being man made, and posses flawless aim due to their super-computer brains. Porygon will evolve into a Porygon 2 (Copyright, Silph Co., 1999) if given an Up-Grade Disk from Silph Co."**

Pointing the Pokedex to the next Pokemon, Tony looked up its data. **"Voltorb and Electrode, the Ball Pokemon. Often thought to be Pokemon that mimic Pokeballs, these creatures existed before Pokeballs did, and were in fact that basis of the design. They are energy based beings, and each one contains an electric "heart" inside that generates enough electricity to power a city. Despite their round shapes, they are surprisingly speedy, capable of keeping up with Ratatta and Pikachu when it comes to pure speed."**

"Aww, jeez," Tony said. "This is gonna be a hassle."

Brock pulled out another Pokeball. "Not too much of a hassle for me!" he said. "Go, Kabutops!"

The Pokeball snapped open and a tall prehistoric Pokemon emerged. "Kabu!" he announced.

**"Kabutops," **the Pokedex chimed. **"The Shellfish Pokemon. The final form of Kabuto, Kabutops is a fierce predator that fights foes with sharp blades on each arm. this Pokemon went extinct ages ago for unknown reasons, but can now be obtained via cloning from fossils. The most popular theroy is that its dual Rock/Water typing made it inefficient in hunting the Grass Type Pokemon that were begining to dominate the shores. It It cannot digest solid food, so it drains the body fluid of prey."**

"Alright!" Brock said. "Time for a double attack! Kabutops, Rock Slide, Golem, Earthquake! Go!"

"Golem!" shouted Golem, rolling into a ball and heading down the mountaint like an avalanche.

"Kabu!" shouted Kabutops.

"I'm with you!" shouted Tobias. "Phantom, Virtue, go! Flank the scientists on the other side!"

"Pika!" shouted Phantom.

"Grow!" returned Virtue. The two Pokemon quickly followed the Rock Types.

"You got anything, Tony?" asked Brock.

"No, not without Tochu," Tony moaned. "Alph's too tired to fight, and Lucky was knocked out by Reeds!"

"Knocked out, you say?" Brock said, pulling out a small bottle. "Will this help?" he asked, giving it to Tony.

Tony looked at the bottle. "Revival Medicine!" he said, relieved. He grabbed Lucky's Pokeball. "Up and at 'em, girl!"

* * *

><p>Tochu had never guessed that he would die like this.<p>

Alone, under the blistering heat of the dreaded light. Badly battered and bruised. The roars of unknown Pokemon and surface dwellers, and the explosions of battle echoing all about.

Tochu's eyes were tightly shut. His claws were covering his eyes. He didn't know how long he had. He didn't know how he would die. Would the light fry him? Would a stray attack of some sort reduce him to smoldering ash? Would some surface dweller crush him under their foot?

He didn't know. And it was scaring him even more.

Finally, he resigned himself to fate. There was nothing he could do. He was going to die. Under the light. Alone.

Slowly, the Paras opened his eyes...

And was... Amazed.

He looked up, his eyes feeling wet and watery under the light. The sky... It was... It was...

So... _Amazing..._

The sky was nothing like the dark grey caves. It was alive with vibrant, amazing colors. Purples, oranges, reds... And to top it all off, a bright orange light, slowly vanishing under the distant mountains. The ground he was lying on was green, bright grass, soft to the touch. The cooling evening air filled his nose with a beautiful scent of a summer breeze.

Yes, the sun made him feel a bit too warm. Yes, his eyes were tearing up. But it was so beautiful to him.

He had been underground, chewing roots for all these years, and missing out on this?

Well... At least he could die here, in this beautiful place.

Suddenly, there was a flash of violet and white.

A purple creature was flying over him. It had brilliant white wings that shone with the sun's light. Bright ruby eyes on her face, and a light purple fuzz covered her small body.

Tochu's eyes widened. It was an angel. To take him away.

He closed his eyes and sighed, knowing that his time had finally come. Attacks wizzed overhead, narrowly missing him as the angel drew closer and closer.

_Good-bye, everyone..._

The angel grabbed him, lifting him off his feet and carrying him off. Her hand were so soft. Like feathers.

And then, she promptly dumped him on the ground.

"Paras?" he said, surprised.

"Heya, Tochu," said a voice.

Tochu looked up to see Tony, who quickly sprayed him with some medicine. "This is Lucky," he said. "My first Pokemon. She's a Butterfree."

Tochu stared at the angel - er, Butterfree. "P... Paras..." (Uh... Hello...)

Lucky sighed. "Butter bree ree..." (Welcome to the team...)

"You stay out of trouble," Tony told Tochu. "We're gonna handle those clowns, Lucky! You ready?"

"Bree!" Lucky said, ready to get back into action.

"Alright!" Tony shouted. "Let's do this!"

Boy and Butterfree charged at their foe, ready to settle the score.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, sorry about the sudden ending to this one folks. I meant for it to be longer, but I gotta watch my baby brother. Anyways, Lucky's back and ready to kick some Rocket behind! Wh00t!<strong>

**Tune in next time for the Mt. Moon Finale Part 2!**


	21. Mt Moon Finale Part 2!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony, Tobias, and Brock escaped the Mt. Moon caves only to find that Tony's friends were under fierce attack by Team Rocket's scientists, Celia and Ivan Rhodes. Now, the trio of young men charge to save their friends from the dastardly scientists!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Sunset was reach an end over the path of Mt. Moon. Various Pokemon were heading into their nests and burrow, ready for a long night's sleep, while others were waking up and preparing for a night of survival. However, any peace and tranquility that the evening would have brought a human was quickly shattered by the news broadcasts.<p>

Team Rocket was at Mt. Moon.

The police department was being flooded with calls, parents dragged their children inside, locked the doors and barred the windows. Both Pewter and Cerulean were in a panic. A team of terrorists had that effect.

However, Team Rocket wasn't doing so hot in this battle. Most of their grunts were out of Pokemon, and the only ones left were the two scientists, who had strong Pokemon but where outnumbered by their foes. It was only natural of Giovanni to send reinforcements.

Said reinforcements were driving in a large truck, down to the Mt. Moon path. The back was filled with a team of elite operatives - those who had earned the right to use Pokemon other than Zubat or Ratatta.

The leader was a fierce looking operative with a goatee and a nasty scar. He glowered at the grunts under his command. "Alright, listen up!" he snapped. "Those dopes at the fossil hunt have gotten themselves into a little trouble. We go in, take out anyone and anybody in our way, and get 'em out of there! Ya got that?"

"Yessir!" the grunts answered.

"Awright," the leader said. "Let's-!"

SCREEEEEEEECH!

The truck came to a screeching halt, sending the grunts inside to the floor. "What the...!" snapped the leader, standing up.

"We've stopped!" said a female grunt with a multitude of piercings all over her face.

The leader grabbed his walkie talkie. "Driver! What's da holdup?"

There was no answer.

The leader growled. "Get out there and take whoever did this out!" he snapped.

"Yessir!" the grunts answered, opening the door to the back of the truck.

They grabbed their Pokeballs. Weezing with deadly noxious gases, Muk with hideous toxic sludge, Machoke with the strength of dozens of men, Primeape with vicous, near uncontrollable tempers, and to top it all off, Marowak, with their deadly accurate Bonemerangs.

The grunts leaped out from the truck, ready to face an army of police officers.

What they got instead, with something very different.

Standing before the grunts, was a woman, wearing a bright red business suit, her arms crossed. Standing behind her, was a tall yellow Pokemon called Hypno. Behind them, was a limosine, parked directly in front of the Rockets' truck, blocking it from reaching Mt. Moon.

"Yo, lady!" the leader shouted. "Move it or lose it!"

The woman looked completely unimpressed. She didn't even blink.

"I said move it, lady!" the leader snapped.

The grunts began to reach for their Pokeballs, ready to teach the rude woman a lesson.

"...Hypno. Psychic."

The woman's sudden words surprised the grunts. "Wha-?" the leader began.

He was cut off when he started floating in the air.

The Hypno had raised its arms, and was forcibly levitating all of the grunts in the air.

"H-hey!" the leader shouted, losing his bravado. "Hey! Let us go!"

The grunts began to squeal and scream in fear as the Hypno kept them raised in the air.

"Finish it, Hypno."

"Hypno!" the Psychic Type rumbled, slamming his hands together. The grunts were all smashed into each other with a powerful force, before being dumped on the ground, completely out cold.

Anna Maruko rolled her eyes. "Idiots..." she muttered, pulling out another Pokeball. "Tangela, Bind."

The ball opened, releasing a Tangela, its body covered in blue and green vines except for its eyes and feet. With a "Tanga!" it quickly wrapped up the grunts together, grabbing the out cold driver from the cab while she was at it. Within seconds, they were wrapped up like a Christmas gift.

"Those grunts were reinforcements," Anna deduced, knowing that there were still grunts at Mt. Moon. She could hear the sound of battle in the distance. "If there's trouble, chances are Tony is there, in the middle of it."

"Very good, Ms. Maruko," said Jerry, her driver. The eldery man was very good at three things. Bird watching, driving, and agreeing with his employer. He got plenty of chances to do all three while under Maruko's employ.

"I need to get to the battle," Anna said, determined.

"Very good, Ms. Maruko," said Jerry. "Shall I drive you there?"

"No," Anna said. "I'll get there myself," she said, pulling another Pokeball. "Go, Fearow."

"Fearow!" screeched the bird as it emerged from its Pokeball.

Anna climbed onto the bird's back carefully, making sure not to wrinkle her business suit. She did have a meeting in the morning after all. "I'll be back. With my son," she told Jerry, as her Hypno floated next to her with his Psychic abilities, and her Tangela grabbed onto the Hypno and pulled herself up onto him, ready for a ride.

"Very good, Ms. Maruko," Jerry said with a nod.

Anna took off, heading towards Mt. Moon - and her son. Ready to take him back.

* * *

><p>Tayuyu Yamaki had had a very, very bad day.<p>

First off, she had been wrong. She hated being wrong about anything.

Secondly, she had nearly been killed by a psychopath. Then she got to trek through some forsaken caves for hours on end. And now, the grand finale. Team Rocket.

Oh. Joy.

Tayuyu gritted her teeth as Mach took a fierce blow to the chest, curtosy of Porygon's Tri-Attack. The Machamp hit the ground, dazed, but not out. "Come on, Mach!" she shouted. "Stand! Get up! We can do this!"

"Champ..." Mach groaned as he stood up. He glared daggers at Porygon, snarling at the Virtual Pokemon.

"Now, Cross Chop!" shouted Tayuyu.

The Machamp shot foward, all four arms crossed. With a might yell, he chopped at his foe.

"Porygon 2, Double Team!" shouted Celia.

"Gon!" beeped Porygon 2, quickly shooting out of the way of Mach's attack. He zipped right behind the Fighting Pokemon, just as his attacks tore through the blur that the Porygon 2 had left over.

"Now, Psychic!" Celia shouted.

"Pory!" shouted Porygon 2, unleashing a burst of Psychic power, striking Mach with mental force.

"Champ!" Mach shouted unhappily as he hit the ground.

"Hah!" Celia taunted. "Mind over muscle! Even with Pokemon! Finish them off, Porygon 2! Psychic!"

"Pory!" Porygon beeped again, preparing to unleash its attack.

"Tim! Poison Jab!" Kirby shouted, startling Tayuyu.

A glowing purple leak shot into Porygon 2's face like a javaline, striking the creature with an intense blow. The Porygon beeped in pain, spinning in circles and shaking and spluttering smoke.

Tim caught his leek as it bounced off the Porygon 2 and back to him. "Fetch!" he said, proudly.

"Augh!" groaned Celia. "Blasted thing is malfunctioning again!"

"One little hit, and it just goes nuts..." muttered Tayuyu, surprised.

Kirby ran over to Tayuyu, Tim close behind him. "Let's take 'em out!" he said.

Tayuyu nodded. "Katie!" she shouted up to the red head, who was circling on Athena, waiting for her Pidgeot to recover after that Hyper Beam. "Keep us covered up there!"

"Roger!" Katie shouted, giving Tayuyu a salute. She began to fly over the teen, preparing to unleash more of the Pidgeot's vicious strikes.

"Nicole!" shouted Tayuyu. "You... Stay there, and make sure that the Millers are kept safe!"

"Gotcha!" Nicole shouted, waving her hand from behind the car.

"Alright," Tayuyu said. "Come on, Kirby. We can take them!"

Ivan growled. "You brats actually think you have a chance?"

Tayuyu shrugged and motioned to the beaten grunts. "We've been doing okay so far, so why not?"

Ivan growled. "Of all the ignorant-! You kids don't seem to realize who you're talking to! I've earned more Master's Degrees in one college session than you'll be able to learn in a lifetime!"

"Well, from where I sit, you look like just another flunkie!" shouted Katie from Athena. The Pidgeot cooed and chirped in agreement.

"Shut up!" shouted Ivan. "I'll teach you some respect! Electrode, Porygon 2, use-!"

"Golem!"

A massive tremor ripped the ground apart, knocking the Electrode and Porygon 2 through the air. Both Pokemon hit the ground with pained cries.

A Golem rolled down the steep hill, unfolding and glaring at Ivan and Celia. "Gol!"

"What the-?" snarled Ivan.

"Kabu!"

A Kabutops leaped over Brock's head, unleashing a powerful rockslide attack. The attack struck Electrode viciously, knocking the Pokemon out. The Kabutops landed next to the Golem, his deadly blades extended.

"Where'd they come from?" asked Tayuyu as Ivan threw a very, very embaressing hissy fit.

"I'd know those two anywhere!" Katie cheered.

A dark skinned man with black hair slid down the hill. "Heya, Katie!"

"Alright!" Katie cheered. "It's Brock!"

Ivan groaned. "Oh, not _him!"_

Brock was swiftly followed by two boys, one with glasses, a Pikachu and a Growlithe, and one with a beautiful, familiar sight: a bright violet Butterfree by his side.

Sally's eyes burst into happy tears. "It's Tony!" she cried.

"Yeah!" Nicole said, relieved. "And... that guy... who I've never met... Before..."

The boy that she had never seen before, Tobias, shot ahead, his Pokemon at his side. "Let's do it!" he shouted, pointing at the malfunctioning Porygon 2. "Virtue, Ember, Phantom, Thunderbolt!"

"Growl!" barked Virtue, shooting into the air and blasting flames at the Virtual Pokemon.

"Pka-CHU!" shouted Phantom, bursting into the air and unleashing a bolt of lightning.

Both attacks struck the Porygon 2, sending the already sparking and damaged creature to the ground with a beeping, shaking frenzy. The creature gave a pained beep before passing out.

"Blast it!" snarled Ivan. "Electrode, use Hyper Beam!"

"Trodude!" Electrode snarled, firing off rapid blasts of energy at Brock and Tobias's Pokemon. Both Pokemon and trainers ducked under the blasts, as they kicked up dust clouds in the air.

Tony shot past Brock and Tobias, weaving around the Electrode's attacks with Lucky at his side. "You ready?" he asked.

"Bree!" Lucky agreed.

"Good!" Tony said. "We need to take that guy out! Sleep Powder, go!"

"Butter-reee!" Lucky shouted, flying into the air and blasting potent powder at her foe.

"Double Team, Electrode!" shouted Ivan.

Electrode grinned cockily as he shot away from the attack.

"Try again, Lucky!" Tony shouted.

Lucky fired off another blast of the powder. However, the Electrode swiftly dodged it.

"Idiot!" snapped Ivan. "You can hope to outspeed an Electrode! Thunder, Electrode!"

"Trode!" Electrode screeched, unleashing a fierce barrage of lightning bolts.

Tony ducked as a bolt shot over his head. "Dang it..." he muttered. "I need to slow it down..."

"Paras?"

Tony looked down at the familiar sound. Tochu was staring up at him "Hey, Tochu," Tony greeted. "You wanna help again?"

After a second of hesitation, Tochu gave a nod. "Paras."

"Alright..." Tony said. "Lucky, come here!"

Lucky swooped back towards Tony, dodging another Thunder blast.

"Alright!" Tony said with a grin. "Time to end this! Lucky, grab Tochu and pick him up!"

Lucky shot down, picking up the Paras before making a U-turn back towards Electrode.

Tony's eyes narrowed as Electrode prepared another Hyper Beam. "Now!" he shouted. "Bombs away!"

Lucky nodded, releasing the Paras. Tochu squealed in fear as he landed behind the Electrode.

"Sleep Powder! Spore! Go!" Tony shouted.

Ivan's eyes widened. "No! Double Team!"

But it was too late for Electrode. The Electric Type was engulfed in a cloud of spores and powders, covering him up. Soon, the powder cleared away.

Electrode was lying on the ground, snoring drowzily.

"No!" Ivan shouted, grabbing his hair.

Tayuyu laughed at the scientist's plight. "Serves you right! Electrode won't outspeed anything when he's asleep!"

"Now!" Tony shouted. "Tochu, Scratch! Lucky, Confusion!"

"Bree!"

"Paras...!"

Tochu's claws raked across the Electrode as Lucky's mental blast pummeled it. The Electrode fell to the earth, out-cold.

"Alright!" Tony cheered. "We got 'em! Good job!"

A cheer erupted from the kids and the Millers, overjoyed that the battle was finally over, and that Tony was safe.

"Not so fast!"

Ivan Rhodes snarled angrily as he pulled a black pistol from his jacket, pointing it at Tony and his Pokemon. "Not one more step!" he said, through gritted teeth. "Or else this kid gets a hole where his face used to be!"

Everything went deadly quiet. Non one said a word. Ivan and Celia were breathing heavily, sweat dripping from their brows.

Finally, someone spoke. "I don't think yeh wanna do that, sonny."

Pappy stepped out from behind the car, Cap'n's bowl in his arms. "Pappy!" said Sally, horrified. "Don't!"

Ivan growled and pointed his gun at Pappy. "Don't cross me!" he snarled. "I'll shoot you!"

Pappy walked foward, undaunted. "Sonny, you've attacked people, held people hostage, tried to murder little kiddies, and now yer pintin' a gun at me. You really want to add a murder charge to this list of felonies?"

Ivan's hands began to shake.

"You really gonna shoot me, son?" asked Pappy.

Ivan snarled and raised his gun. "Shut-!"

Pappy was already moving. The old man shot foward like a bullet, kicking Ivan between the legs. The younger man gasped as he lost grip on his gun, dropping it to the ground.

Pappy quickly grabbed Ivan's arm, twisting the man around and twisting the man's arm, resulting in a loud cracking noise.

Ivan screamed in pain as the kids and the Millers stared on, amazed.

"Wha-! But-? How-!" Ivan stammered.

Pappy placed his foot on Ivan's back, forcing the man to his knees. "I didn't spend fifteen years in karate, thirty years in the Navy and seven years in the police force fer nothin' sonny!" the old man gloated.

"Way to go, Pappy!" said Tayuyu, impressed.

"All my grandpa does is drink prune juice..." muttered Tobias, surprised.

Celia growled, pulling out her own gun. "Alright," she snarled. "Let him-!"

"Cap'n!" Pappy ordered. "Splash!"

"Karp! Karp!" the Fish Pokemon chirped, flopping out of his bowl.

Celia rolled her eyes as the fish flopped towards her. "You must be-!"

"Now! Flail!" Pappy ordered.

SMACK!

A loud, slapping sound filled the air as Cap'n angrily smacked Celia across the face with his tail. Celia spun around, spat out a bloody tooth, and collapsed to the ground face-first with a gasp of disbelief.

Ivan looked up at Pappy, amazed. _"What are you?" _he whispered, terrified.

Pappy grinned. "I'm Pappy. Don't you forget it!"

Brock grinned, giving the old man appluase. "Great job!" he cheered, walking over to the group, as he returned his Pokemon.

"You know these chumps?" asked Tayuyu.

Brock nodded. "Yeah. Ivan and Celia Rhodes. They used to work for my dad at the Pewter Museum, until I caught them _embezzling_ money for some kind of secret project," he said, looking down distastefully at Ivan.

Ivan glared up at Brock. "You'll pay for this, Harrison!" he snarled.

Brock rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said, not caring. He looked up into the sky. "Great job, Katie! You really came through!"

Katie gave Brock a merry salute. "You did pretty good too!" she said.

Congratulations were all around, everyone giving each other a pat on the back for their efforts in stopping the Rockets."

Kirby returned Tim to his Pokeball. "Thanks, Tim," he said. "You really helped."

Tayuyu looked over to Nicole, sighing. "Not bad... for a rookie."

Nicole folded her arms after returning Ember to her Pokeball. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said.

"Great job... Whoever you are," Tayuyu told Tobias.

"Oh, I'm Tobias," the genuis said. "I helped Tony escape from the caves."

Tayuyu sighed. "Oh, don't tell me..." She turned to Tony. "Say, Tony, you making this guy another one of your travelling buddies?"

Tony didn't answer. He was too busy hugging his aunt. The boy and his mother figure were clenched together in a fierce hug, tears streaming down the woman's eyes. Tochu, Lucky and the Voltorb, at their feet.

"I was so scared..." Sally sobbed.

"Me too..." Tony said, honestly. "Did those punks hurt ya?"

"They tried," Sally said, looking down at the Voltorb. "That Voltorb saved me," she said, kindly.

The Voltorb rubbed against her leg, buzzing happily.

Sally picked him up carefully. "I think I'll call you... Volty," she said.

"Volty?" asked Tony, surprised. _Auntie never was the master of nicknames..._

Sally nodded. "Volty," she said, holding the Pokemon close to her heart.

"Vol!" buzzed Volty happily.

"Well," Pappy said. "Looks like it's a happy ending all around..."

"HANDS IN THE AIR!"

The group jumped at the sound of an angry woman shouting over a loudspeaker.

Officer Jenny of Cerulean City, now wearing her actual uniform, appeared at the top of the hill, an entire police force swarming behind her. Half a dozen police cars drove up the path that led from Cerelean, cutting off any escape up there."YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO... REMAIN... SILENT..." She paused and looked down at the scene below her. The kids and the Miller were all on the ground, almost completely unscathed, while the Team Rocket grunts were lying on the ground, dishevled and covered in dust.

Officer Jenny blinked. "...Uh... Guess it's over already..." She sighed. "The chief is gonna have my head for this..."

"Uh..." Tayuyu said from down below. "Arrest them, please?"

"Right, right!" said Jenny with a nod. "Arrest those Rockets!" she ordered.

"Ma'am!" the men and women of the Cerulean police department said, shooting down the hillside. They quickly cuffed all of the Rocket grunts, and then they cuffed the scientist duo of Ivan and Celia. Ivan glared at the kids as a police woman shoved him into the police car and read him his rights.

Tony gave a sigh, and then a yawn, as the Rockets were shoved into police cars. "Jeez I'm tired..."

Tobias nodded. "I concur. This has been quite a day."

Tayuyu syawned. "We need to get to a Pokemon Center," she said.

Sally shook her head. "Pappy and I will find a hotel instead. I'm not a trainer."

"Vol!" said the Voltorb, bounncing happily into her arms.

Sally looked at the Voltorb. "Or maybe I am..." she said, chuckling.

Loud sirens from an ambulance cut off their conversation.

An ambulance drove down the road, stopping at the foot of the hill. A small group of people ran up the hill carefully carrying an unconcious woman with them.

Tony blinked. "Kelly!" he said, running away from his surprised family and friends. Lucky looked at Tochu, who shrugged and quickly followed after Tony. Lucky sighed and followed as well. What had she missed while she had been out cold?

"Tony?" called Sally. "Where are you going?"

"And who's Kelly?" asked Katie.

Tobias sighed. "A rather rude girl we met in Mt. Moon caves. She was stung by a Sandshrew and was poisoned.

"Wha-!" said Kirby, surprised.

Tayuyu groaned as Tony shot off to the ambulance. _This kid meets more people than the president!_

* * *

><p>Darkness. All she could see was darkness.<p>

Kelly Rhodes felt numb and tired. Her limbs felt heavy. Try as she might, she couldn't move.

_Am I... Dead?_

_No! I can't be dead! I don't want to die! I'm too young!_

_Help!_

She heard something. It started as a humming, buzzing noise. Then, it gradually became a word. And then another word.

"She's stable."

Something sharp pricked her skin. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't open her mouth.

"Antidote administed! She's gonna make it!"

A light pierced the darkness, causing her heavy eye lids to open up, like flower buds in the sun. She saw a few men and women, standing over her. She was in a vehicle of some sort. It wasn't moving. She saw medical equipment in the hands of one of the men.

She was in an ambulance.

She felt a wave of panic fill her body as her eyes began to shut again. Was she dying? Was this it?

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw someone, standing outside the ambulance. A blonde haired boy, who had gone to extremes to save her.

Tony.

Kelly felt her eyes shut again. She tried to keep them open, but could not.

She closed her eyes, giving in.

Stupid Sandshrews...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as Kelly was loaded onto the ambulance, and Rockets were loaded into police trucks, a figure watched over them, with a sour frown.<p>

Anna Maruko clenched her binoculars

Ivan didn't know what was more annoying. The Officer Jenny in the front seat, giving him a lecture about why stealing was wrong, or his wife sobbing about going to jail and trying not to get her blood all over her white coat.

It was a tie. They were both torture.

"I don't want to go to jail!" wailed Celia unhappily. "This is all your fault!" she shrieked.

Ivan rubbed his eyes. "I need a drink..."

"What you need it a lawyer and a miracle!" snapped Officer Jenny. "The judge is gonna throw the book at you two! Working with Team Rocket and holding kids hostage! Have you no shame?"

"No. What I do have is a headache..." Ivan muttered.

The police officer who was driving chuckled at the scientist's joke. Officer Jenny glared fiercely at her. "No laughing at a felon's joke!" she snapped.

"Sorry ma'am!" the younger woman stuttered.

Jenny turned back to the scientists. "I hope you two have a very, very good lawyer. Otherwise-!"

"WOW!"

A car came out of nowhere from behind a building, crashing into the police car. Both officers slammed their heads on the dash board, knocking them out. The car screeched to halt, shaking the two scientists in the back like ragdolls.

They heard the door to the other car open, and footsteps walk toward the squad car. The door popped open.

Kayla Reeds grinned down at the out cold Jenny. "'Scuse me," she sai, grabbing the cop anhd pulling her roughly from the car, dumping her on the road. "I wanna drive." She quickly dumped the other cop out, climibing into the driver's seat. "Well," she said, buckling up, "if it isn't my favorite unhappy, unfortunate, unloving married couple," she said, starting the car again. They drove down the streets of midnight Cerulean City.

"Reeds...?" Ivan asked. He wasn't sure to be grateful, or furious. An annoying cop was one thing, but Reeds? Ivan sighed. This was turning into the worst night of his life.

"Whew! You two look awful!" Kayla said, eyeing the two from the front seat. "What hitcha, Cel?"

"Uh... A Magikarp..." Celia replied, humiliated.

Kayla chuckled. "Well, why am I not surprised?" she chortled.

"You seem awfully chipper," remarked Ivan, suspicously. "You do of course realize that Giovannia is going to kill us for failing him."

"Hmm..." Kayla hummed, in a "I know something you don't know" voice.

"Don't you care?" snapped Celia. "We're all going to die!"

Kayla chuckled. "Everyone dies... Eventually. Why wait?"

The radio buzzed to life. "Car 63, report in. You've been due back at HQ for ten minutes now," a woman said.

Kayla switched on her own radio. "Car 63 to HQ, Car 63 to HQ," she said in her best police voice.

"Yes?" the woman answered.

"BITE ME!" Kayla shouted, switching the radio off. She snickered to herself.

"Why are you so cheerful?" snapped Ivan, not able to understand her.

"Because," Kayla said. "Tony is alive."

"Tony?"

"My new hobby," Kayla explained. "A happy, cheerful, friendly boy, out on on a big adventure to win the Pokemon league with his friends. He enjoys spending time wth friends and family, is kind to Pokemon, and he's already won his firsy Gym Badge." She gave a wide grin. "I'll enjoy _breaking him."_

"You won't get to if Giovanni kills you," said Ivan.

"Oh, he won't," Kayla replied. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and tossed it to Celia. "Lookie what I found."

Celia opened the bag. "It's a fossil...?" she muttered, looking at it. She leaned closer. "But..." Her eyes widened. "Is... Is this...?"

"What?" Ivan shouted. He pered into the bag. "What is..." His eyes widened. "It... It can't be..."

"It is," Kayla said, smugly.

"You found this?" Ivan asked.

"No," Kayla said. "My Raticate did. But I shot it after we got out of the tunnels, so I get to take all the credit for it. Of course, you two eggheads are the only ones who can make anything happen with that rock, so, I suppose you could have it..."

"For what price?" asked Celia.

"Oh, I'll think of something," Kayla said, smirking. "Now buckle up. We've got a ways to go to get back to Viridian.

With a devious laugh and the screech of tires, the police car shot away, with it's precious - and deadly - cargo.

* * *

><p><strong>SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY!<strong>

**Sorry. I mean... Really. Sorry. I am so sorry.**

**My family computer broke down, and without my equally dead (if not morso,) laptop, I had to type most of this chapter on the library computer. I know it took a while, and a Tuesday update may seem weird to you, but I'm doing the best I can. With any luck, out family computer with be fixed, and I'll be able to update more often!**

**So, it may be awhile before I can read this again! So please make sure I have a lot of reviews when I get back!**

**Oh, by the way, read Call of the Wild, by 3rdbase101. It's pretty good. And it's accepting OCs! Kalya might even make an appearence! Won't that be worth it?**

**Seeyas next time, peeps!**


	22. Welcome to Cerulean!

**Last time on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony and Co. managed to escape from Team Rocket inside of Mt. Moon, and they now have arrived at Cerulean City, home of the famous Nugget Bridge and Gym Leader Misty Waterflower, who is holding Tony's next badge! Meanwhile, Team Rocket Scientists Ivan and Celia Rhodes have escaped thanks to Kayla Reeds, who has found a very interesting fossil!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Cerulean City. A peaceful riverside town. Long ago, it was a town that had been built off of panning for valuable gold nuggets in the river. Now, it was famous for its Pokemon Gym, led by the beloved Gym Leader Misty Waterflower, its fine resturants, offering high quality meals, its lovely fishing, with a wide variety of Water Pokemon, and the icing on the already loaded cake, the famous Pokemanic Bill, friend of Proffesor Oak and collector of Pokemon, lived by the coast. Many Pokemon trainers came to see Bill's massive collection of Pokemon from regions as far away as Sinnoh and Unova.<p>

For now, however, the Miller Family was pleased to be sampling the city's hotels.

The small family unit were fast asleep. Yesterday had been a frightening and tiring experience. An encounter with a psychotic maniac, a criminal gang, nearly drowning, nearly getting torn to bits by Sandshrew, nearly being killed by the Rockets, and nearly losing poor Kelly to that poison had been almost too much to bear for one night. Then, Tony spent most of the night as the local hospital as Kelly was given the medical care she needed. He refused to leave until the nurse, a middle aged woman with a kind smile, insisted that Kelly would be alright.

Tony's first thought was to sleep at a Pokemon Center, with Kirby, Katie, Tayuyu, Nicole, and Tobias. However, Aunt Sally asked him to stay at the hotel. She hd nearly lost him that day, and having him near would help calm her nerves down. Tony agreed, which leaves us where we are now.

Tony and Sally were lying on one of the beds, the brunette and the blonde snoozing soundly, glad to be safe. Pappy was on the other bed, snoring rather loudly and mumbling about Sea Pokemon in his sleep.

All of their Pokemon were fast asleep as well. Lucky, Alph and the Voltorb, newly named Wattson, were all curled up on the couch, snoozing loudly. Cap'n was asleep on his bowl on the kitchen counter. The only one missing...

THUNK. THUNK. THUNK.

Lucky's eyes slowly opened. She turned to see the new guy, Tochu, up at this ungodly hour. The Paras was walking into the glass window door that lead to the balcony. Appearently, he had never heard of glass before, as he kept trying to walk through the solid wall.

Lucky rolled her eyes. _He's another weird one, isn't he?_

She hopped out of bed and fluttered over to him. "Hey," she said.

Tochu jumped, terrified. "Waah! I mean... Ugh, I... Uh... Hi there..."

"Hello..." Lucky said, looking at the Paras. "Why are you awake? The sun is only just rising."

Tochu turned away, nervously. "Uh... That's why I'm up. I wanted to see the light... eh, the sun again." He continued to try and head through the glass, bonking his head every time he tried to head through.

THUNK. THUNK. THUNK.

Lucky rolled her eyes, flitting over to the handle of the door. She pulled the door open, and the Paras stumbled outside.

Tochu turned red, feeling very idiotic. He shrugged the feeling off and crawled up onto the small table on the balcony. He looked out at the sky. The sun was rising, casting its light on the flowing waters and the town. "Wow..." Tochu muttered, entranced.

Lucky landed next to him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Huh?" Tochu said. "Oh, I'm fine..."

"You sure? Because you look a little... Dazed..." Lucky said.

"It's just that..." Tochu said. "I never knew that... This light could be so... so... wonderful," he said, gazing out at the sun. "I always thought that the light burns my kind to a crisp, and that it was lethal. Now... I guess I was scared of something this great all this time..."

Lucky looked at the sunrise. The Paras had never been aboveground before. He had lived in those dreary caves all of his life. The sunrise must be amazing to him.

"It's... Uh... Nice, isn't it?" asked Tochu.

"Yes," Lucky said, with a nod. "It is, I guess..." she said, feeling a bit odd. "Well... I'm going back to sleep now." She fluttered.

"Uh... But... Uh, okay, then... Seeya..." Tochu muttered as Lucky flew back to her spot on the couch. Tochu slapped himself with his claw. "Smooth, Tochu. Real smooth."

He sighed. He had always been terrible with females. He was rather small for his kind (the average Paras was 1'4, while he was 1'2) and he never was able to talk to any of the females in his swarm when he had been there. He was always too small. Too shy.

Too... odd.

Still...

He turned and looked out the window again. This view...

This view, made everything better.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Wattson! Thundershock again!"<p>

"Voltor!"

BZZZZZZZZZT!

Tony's eyes slowly opened. The smell of french toast caught his nose, made with cinnamon and an Aunt's love.

Also, with high voltages of electricity.

Aunt Sally was making the french toast with the help of Wattson, who was electricuting the egg batter-dipped bread with blasts of thundershock, frying them nicely within seconds. Tony's Pokemon were up and about as well, eating their Pokemon food with vigor (especially Tochu). Aunt Sally must've fed them herself.

Tony yawned. "Mornin'," he said with a yawn.

"Oh, good morning!" greeted Aunt Sally. "Or, really, good almost afternoon." She pointed to the clock. It read 10:00 AM.

"Wowza," Tony said, surprised. "We really slept in!"

"Well, after yesterday, I figured you'd need a bit more sleep," said Aunt Sally. "Want some french toast?"

"Heh! Always!" said Tony, feeling very hungry. "Hey, where's Pappy?" he asked, looking around. The old man was absent, along with Cap'n.

"Oh, you know Pappy. Of to enjoy some Cerulean fishing I suppose," Sally said, laughing. "So, what's your plan for today?"

"Well, I'm gonna go get my bike from the bike store. It'll make travelling easier. Then, I'm going to visit Kelly in the hospital. After that, I think I'll head over to the Cerulean Gym and get ready for my next madge. I'm gonna train there a bit before I take on Misty and get Tochu ready for the fight. I'm gonna need him for my heavy hitter!"

Tochu blinked, nervously. "Pa ras?" (Who, me?)

"Good plan," said Sally, setting down a plate in front of Tony. "Well, I managed to get a few days off from work, so I think I'll stick around for a bit and keep _you_ out of trouble. I think I'll make a lasagna to celebrate your victory when you win the CascadeBadge!" She paused and thought about it. "Hmm... I'm gonna have to go shopping... For ingredients... First thing after breakfast!" she said, placing a large plate of french toast in front of herself, dripping with melted butter and syrup. "You can invite all your friends too! But that can wait. Until then, let's chow!"

Tony laughed. "Gotcha!" he cheered, and they both dug in.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at Cinnabar Island, Giovanni was getting a much less pleasent wake up call.<p>

"Wakey wakey."

Giovanni's eyes shot open as he felt something cold and sharp touch his neck. Kayla Reeds had her face very close to his, her nose touching his. A knife was in her hands. "Up and at 'em," Kayla said, with a smirk.

Giovanni's fist slammed into the woman's stomach like a rocket, sending the woman flying off of him. Kayla hit the ground with a giggle.

"Reeds..." Giovanni said in a low voice.

"Hooh, boy," Kayla said, standing up and rubbing her bruised stomach. "That smarted!" she giggled.

Giovanni grabbed Kayla by the throat. "What are you doing here?" he asked, angrily. "I thought you and those Rhodes idiots were captured at Mt. Moon!"

Kayla smirked. "Well," she chocked out, as Giovanni's hand squeezed her neck. "Evidently we escaped... and we gotcha a present..."

Giovanni's grip loosened. "Did you...?"

"Come see for yourself," Kayla said. "The Rhodes have it in the lab."

Giovanni dropped Kayla to the floor. "Show me," he ordered.

* * *

><p>It felt good to be Ivan Rhodes for once. Finally, after months of failure and having nothing at all, he had something.<p>

Something you couldn't dream of putting a price on.

The elevator dinged and Giovanni walked into the labs, dressed in his robe. Kayla was following him, her usual smirk plastered over her face.

"Sir," Celia and Ivan said, in unison.

Giovanni turned his full attention to the display case in between the scientists. It was covered with a large white cloth, hiding its contents. "Is this it?" he asked.

"It is, sir," Ivan said, feeling enthusiastic.

"Well? Open it."

Celia and Ivan grabbed the cloth and lifted it up, revealing their precious cargo.

Giovanni blinked. His mouth fell open.

Could it...?

Sitting before Giovanni was a fossil - a collection of bones from a strange, cat-like creature. A tong tail, longer than the creature's body. A large head, for a large, nearly unlimited intellect. A pair of small, useless arms, and two tiny feet.

"Mew..." Giovanni said, breathlessly.

Mew. The legendary Pokemon. Considered to be a cryptid by most biologists, but still considered to be real by many people due to sightings. An occasional blurred picture, an excited witness, and documenteries about searching for the Pokemon were its only link to humanity. Yes, expeditions were many, and many still clinged to the dream of this Pokemon, thought to be the ancestor of all Pokemon. Many people, however, doubted such a creature could ever exist.

Giovanni was not one of them.

When he was but a child, a poor little boy raised by his mother only to take her place as a crimelord, he had seen the creature. Mew had appeared to him in his mother's garden. Giovanni remembered the creature well. He and his pet Weedle, his only friend, had seen the creature with their own eyes. Ever since that day, more than thirty years ago, he had the image of the creature burned into his mind.

Finally, Giovanni managed to croak out some words. "Is there...?"

"DNA?" finished Celia, proudly. "Yes, there is. We've already removed a samle. With it, we can make Mew again, sir. We can create a new life!"

Giovanni finally managed to smile. "Outstanding," he said. "Any complications?"

Ivan's brow furrowed. "Just a few." He made a sour face. "That... Butterfree kid. If I ever get my hands on him..."

"'Butterfree kid'?" asked Giovanni.

"That Miller child," Celia said. "From the news."

"I see..." Giovanni muttered. "Mr. Miller is becoming quite a thorn in my side."

Celia nodded. "We'd best let Reeds handle him. She'll be quite cranky if she doesn't get to."

"That's right!" Kayla called from the hall. "I can!"

"That may not be nessecery..." Giovanni said, quietly, while rubbing his chin. "Mr. Miller has proven to be a match for my forces twice now. The young lady travelling with him, Tayuyu Yamaki, is strong. The strong naturally seek out the strong." He folded his arms behind his back. "Both Yamaki and Miller show great potential. I believe that they may even have what it takes to be Rocket Executives."

Ivan snorted incredulously. "Them? They're just kids!"

"We all were, once," Giovanni said, a little wistfully. He shook his head. "Mr. Miller can wait, for now. Until then, let the process commence." he looked at Ivan, his eyes narrowing. "I want my legendary Pokemon, Mr. Rhodes."

Ivan nodded. "You'll have it."

* * *

><p>HONK! HONK! HONK!<p>

"Ah, same to you pal!" Tony retorted, speeding across the walk. "Yeesh, if looks could kill..."

"Bree," agreed Lucky, as she struggled to keep up with Tony.

Tony was riding on a bright blue bicycle, heading through the streets of Cerulean City. Thanks to the card had he had been given Professor Oak, he had been able to get a speedy bike, making his quest to fill his Pokedex much, much easier. Of course, it also made him a nightmare to morning traffic in Cerulean.

But hey, cyclists had a right to the road too!

Trainer and Pokemon shot down the roads, fee peddling faster and wings flapping harder. Tayuyu, Kirby, Nicole and Katie, alonh with his new friend Tobias were all still sound asleep at the Pokemon Center, too exhausted to get up early. Granted, Tony was tired too, but he had someone he needed to visit.

Grinning as he peddled harder, he reached his destination.

Cerulean City Hospital.

* * *

><p>Kelly Rhodes eyes slowly opened up.<p>

A flurry of through flew through her brain. _Where am I? Am I okay? Where are the other Rockets? What happened?_

"Oh, good! You're finally awake!"

Kelly turned to see the nurse who had been keeping an eye on her while she slept. "Where-?" she stammered.

The nurse gave a thankful smile. "Oh, thank goodness! You're awake, you lucky girl!"

Kelly slowly sat up. Her arms and legs felt sore, and her vision was a little hazy.

Then, the memories came, smacking her in the face.

Mt. Moon, Team Rocket, Kayla Reeds, Tony, Tobias, Tochu the Sandshrew...

Her parents...

"What... What happened?" she asked the nurse, feigning ignorance. Lying was a skill she had cultivated to perfection.

"You had a bad accident in the caves," said the nurse. "You were nearly killed by that Sandshrew poison. And that twisted ankle certainly wasn't helping.

"Oh," said Kelly, deceptivly. "Uh... What happened to... Uh..."

"Mr. Miller?" asked the nurse.

"Yeah," said Kelly.

"Oh, that nice young man..." said the nurse, wistuflly. "He stayed here all night, you know. He never left your side till he knew you'd be okay." She sighed dreamily. "I wish I had a man like that."

Kelly felt her face turn red. She turned away from the nurse nervously. Then, she noticed her bad, laying in the corner.

"My bag!" she said. "Is my...?" she stuttered, reaching for it.

"Ahh, ahh, ahh," warned the nurse, picking up the bag herself. "You should stay in bed for a little bit more. Your muscles need a little more time to heal."

"Uh... Okay," said Kelly, taking the bag. She pulled out her sleek black laptop and opened it, switching it on. "I like to play some solitare when I'm bored," she said.

"Okay dear," said the nurse. "Press the button on the side table if you need anything at all, deary," she said kindly.

"Thank you," Kelly answered as she nurse left the room.

The moment the nurse was gone and Kelly was absolutely sure there were no cameras or listening devices, she quickly opened the link to her video-chat and sent a request immedietly to her parents' personal PC. Kelly's computer was equipped with a webcam, and although she didn't know if her parents were in jail or not, she figured she'd better try to contact them. A horrible feeling had begun to ink into her heart. If her parents were captured, she had no doubt they'd confess. Her mother was claustorphobic, and would crack pretty quickly in a small cell. And if her parents were figured out, she'd be going down with them. _Completely_ unfair, really. Just because she was born to the suckers, she had to suffer with them.

After a few agonizing seconds of waiting, Celia Rhodes came onto the screen. "93!" she hissed. "Where are you?"

"Shh!" Kelly hissed. "Not so loud!"

"Where are you?" repeated Celia, in a slightly lower voice.

"Cerulean City Hospital," said Kelly. "I had a run in with some Sandshrew after that _lunatic_ Reeds kindly tossed me off a cliff!"

Ivan appeared on camera. "What? Oh, that..." he growled angrily. "Reeds!"

Kayla had chosen this moment to walk off, likely off to find another victem.

Ivan growled. "Did the police find you? !" he snapped. "Did you talk? !"

"No!" snapped Kelly. "I didn't! The police didn't find me! That Butterfree kid, Tony Miller did! He got me out of the tunnels! I was going to ambush him when we got to the other grunts, but a couple of Sandshrew had other plans..."

"Is that your daughter, Ivan?" a voice said.

Ivan straightened. "Yessir," he said.

"Let me talk to her," said the voice.

After a second, Ivan and Celia moved away, and another man appeared on camera, wearing a dark suit, and a black hockey mask with a bright red R on the top. "93," he greeted.

Kelly saluted, terrified. "Commander, sir!" she said, knowing that that man was the infamous Rocket Commander, supreme leader of Team Rocket. No one had ever seen his face, except the higher ups, like Ariana, Proton and (somehow) her parents.

"At ease," Rocket Commander said with a nod. "You said Mr. Miller saved you?"

"Yeah," Kelly said. "He has skill, sir, but he's a bleeding heart. Surpressing him will be a simple matter, sir. I'll handle it as soon as I'm out of the hospital."

Rocket Commander shook his head. "No, I don't think that will be nessecery."

"It won't? Sir?" asked Kelly.

"No. I believe our good friend Tony will see things our way soon enough." Rocket Commander sounded very pleased with himself.

"He will?" asked Ivan. "How can you be so sure?"

"First off," said Rocket Commander. "His real name is Antonio Miles Maruko, according to my sources."

"Maruko?" said a surprised Ivan.

"As in Anne Maruko, sir?" asked Kelly. "She had a child?"

"Oh, she did," Rocket Commander said. "From what my sources have told me, however, she disowned him when he was very, very young. he was sent to live with his uncle and aunt Brad and Sally Miller, and he took their last name. He's spent the last few years building his skills with Pokemon, and also building up a resentment of his mother. Resentment that I can turn into real strength. This boy may be of some use to us." Commander Rocket looked at Kelly. "93. I want you to follow him, and keep an eye on him. When the time is right, he will join us. Or else. And with him is Tayuyu Yamaki, the red headed girl with the Charizard. She's is a skilled ace trainer, posessing great skills in battle, and having a cool head and nerves of steel."

Kelly nodded. Tony was soft, but he was also skilled and did have potential. (Sure, he'd never be as good as _she_ was, but still...) She didn't know much about Yamaki, but if the boss said she could be of use, it was best not to underestimate her.

"Sir?" It was Celia who spoke next. "Are you sure 93 is the right choice for this mission?"

_Who else could be?_ thought Kelly angrily.

"93 has proven herself a skilled fighter and strategist," Giovanni said. "She is more than capable."

"Thank you, sir," Kelly said with a salute. "I'll deal with Tony Maruko when the time comes."

"Good," the Commander said. "Now-"

KNOCK. KNOCK. Someone knocked loudly on the door.

"Hey, Kelly?" a voice asked. "You okay?"

Kelly's eyes widened. "It's him!" she said. "Sir, I have to go now! I'll be in touch! 93 out!"

Without waiting for a reply, she switched off the video cam and and pulled up a game of solitare. She sat down and tried to look as pathetically ill as she could. "C-come in..." she fake stuttered.

Tony popped open the was holding a small bundle of flowers, a "Get Well Soon!" Balloon, and a Seel plushie. A Butterfree, Lucky, followed him into the small room as Tony placed the gifts on the sidetable. "Thought you might like these," he said, a little awkwardly.

"Thanks..." said Kelly, faking gratitude. In reality, she felt a little angry that he hag bought her a _plushie_ of all things._ Do I look like I'm six? !_

"So," Tony said, "how you Holding up?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Kelly said, keeping the fake fatigue in her voice. She gave a fake cough for convincing effect.

"Glad to hear it," Tony said with a nod.

There was an awkaward silence for a little bit.

"Soooo..." said Kelly. "Uh, is that your Butterfree?"

"Oh, yeah," Tony said. "This is Lucky! Say hi, Lucky!"

"Breee!" Lucky greeted.

"Nice," said Kelly. "She looks really healthy." _I bet me and Jack could handle her easy... _she thought.

"She is," Tony said. "You already know Alph and Tochu," he said, pulling out two Pokeballs. Inside, Kelly could see the Spinarak and the Paras both fast asleep. "I'm gonna go training later at the Cerulean Gym. I want to be ready for Misty!"

"Good plan..." said Kelly, quietly. _Misty should be easy enough as well._

The silence that followed was longer than the last, and even more awkward.

"Well, then," Tony said. "We'd better be going, I guess... I mean... Well... We have a lot of training to do."

"Oh, that's fine!" Kelly said. "Umm, good-bye for now."

"Bye," Tony said, turning around.

"W-wait!" Kelly said.

Tony and Lucky whirled around. "What? What's wrong?"

"Uh... You will be coming back, right?" Kelly asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course!" Tony said. "Hey, you know what? My Aunt's making a special lasagna dinner tomorrow! Why don't you come? Pappy and Aunt Sally would leave to meet you!"

Kelly gave a fake smile. "That would be nice," she said.

"Good," Tony said with a grin. "Well, see you around! I'm off to the gym!"

And with that, Tony left the hospital, and Kelly alone with her plotting thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Well, I'm back! Sorry that there's no new OC in this chapter, guys. I got really, really backed up due to previously mentioned computer malfunctions. On the bright side, the computer is working again! So I'll be able to update sooner! Tune in next time when an old friend returns, and when we meet a brand new OC from Leaf's BIGGEST Fan!**


	23. Tobias is dating a model!

**Last time on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony made it to Cerulean City safely, and is going to the Cerulean Gym to practice for his battle. Meanwhile, Ivan and Celia revealed to Giovanni that they have found a fossil of Mew, the legendary ancestor of all Pokemon! Giovanni orders them to clone the creature in order to create his own legendary Pokemon to use for his own evil goals!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

**And today's special thanks goes to... Leaf's BIGGEST Fan and Jawzfrenzy for two awesome OCs! Thanks a ton!**

* * *

><p>Cerulean Gym was, fittingly enough, a swimming pool.<p>

Well, not a pool itself. The gym was built inside a large building with a multitude of pools inside. Some were for people, and some were for Pokemon. The smell of chlorine filled the air. The floor was white and red tiles, and the entire roof was made up of windows, allowing it to feel like a sunny day at the beach, even inside.

Tony felt a bit out of place walking inside. Almost everyone was in a swimsuit, except for him. It felt... odd.

Ah, well.

Tony and Lucky looked back and forth. Several pools had large rectangular platforms in the center, where fierce battles were taking place. There was a lass facing down a youngster on one platform, with a Sandshrew and Pikachu locked in fierce combat. On the next battlefield, there was a fellow bug catcher with a Ledian (a pretty rare Pokemon in Kanto) facing a swimmer with a Squirtle. They all looked pretty occupied, so Tony would have to find another foe to face.

"Hey! Tony!"

Tony smiled. Bingo.

Tobias came running up, pausing to breathe for a second after his long run. "Fancy... meeting... you here!" he panted.

"Yeah," Tony said. "Fancy that. You come here to train too?"

"Oh, no!" said Tobias. "My girfriend has a meeting here! It's her birthday today, so I'm gonna meet her and take her out on a date, and then give her my present! I've already called her and everything!" he said, eagerly.

"Well, good for you!" Tony said, though he knew nothing of dating himself. "Well, if you've got time to kill before your date, we can always have a battle! I want to get Tochu some training before we fight Misty!"

"A battle? Now?" asked Tobias. "Sorry, Tony, but I can't! I get all sweaty when I battle, and I cannot show myself to my darling after heavy persperation!"

Tony sighed. "Aww, man... Oh well, I'll just ask someone else."

**"I shall battle you, stranger..."**

Tony, Lucky and Tobias nearly jumped out of their skins. They turned to face a strange figure dressed in a black pair of jeans and wearing a black hoodie. His face was completely shrouded, Ringwraith style.

"Who the hay are you? !" demanded Tony. Lucky flew to his side, assuming her defensive position.

**"Who I am is of little concern," **said the figure. **"You said you wished for a battle, and I have come. Is that not enough for you?" **he asked in his deep, low voice. **"If you are afraid, I understand..."**

Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, okay then. I did want a battle..."

**"Excellent," **hissed the stranger. **"You there, boy in the glasses! You shall judge our battle."**

"B-boy in glasses!" snapped an indignant Tobias. "Well, I'd never...!"

* * *

><p>Soon, the battle was ready to begin. Tony stood facing the shrouded man, glaring at him with his hand over his belt and Pokeballs. The man simply gazed back at him, unintimidated. They were standing on the left and right side of the small pool, ready to send their Pokemon onto the stone platform in the center. A small group had gathered to watch the battle unfold.<p>

Tobias stood by the side of the middle of the pool. "The battle between Tony Miller of Pallet Town and... Uh..."

**"That is no concern of yours!"**

"...Okay then. The battle between Tony Miller of Pallet Town and... the Witch King of Angmar I guess will commence now! Three Pokemon only, no substitutions! First to three knock outs wins!" he pulled out a white handkerchief and waved it. "Go!"

"Tochu, come on out!" Tony shouted, sending Tochu to the center of the field.

"P-paras..." stuttered Tochu, knowing he was going to have to fight now. "P... Pras... Pras..."

**"Hmph! Is that all? Very well!" **said the cloaked man. **"Behold! Nidoking, on stage!"**

With a flash of light, a massive Nidoking appeared, roaring down at Tochu. The Paras' eyes widened and he let out a mild "Meep!"

**"The first move is yours, Bug Catcher!" **sneered the man.

"Big mistake!" Tony said. "Tochu! Spore!"

Tochu swallowed nervously as he waved his mushrooms back and forth, sending a cloud of green spores onto the Nidoking. Soon, the massive Pokemon was asleep.

Tony grinned. "Take him while he's sleeping! Scratch attack!"

Tochu scuttled foward nervously, leaping at the Nidoking. He bagn to scrath up the creature, struggling to pierce its strong hide.

"Keep at it, Tochu!" shouted Tony.

However, it was this moment that Nidoking chose to wake up.

Tochu froze as he felt the Nidoking pierce him with his gaze. "P-paras!" (S-sorry!)

**"Poison Jab!" **commanded the hooded man.

"Nido!" snarled Nidoking, stabbing at Tochu harshly. The attack struck the poor Paras and sent him flying.

"Paras!" squealed poor Tochu as he hit the ground, knocked out in one shot.

"Tochu is unable to battle!" shouted Tobias, unhappily. "The first point goes to mystery weirdo!"

"Oh, no!" shouted Tony. "Good try, Tochu! Take a break!" he said, returning the Bug/Grass Type.

**"Perhaps you should give up now," **the cloaked man said. **"You have little hope as it is."**

"Well," Tony said, "I've learned to trust my luck a little better now than I have before. Speaking of luck... Let's do it, Lucky!"

"Bree! Butterfree!" shouted Lucky, shooting towards the Nidoking.

**"Don't make me laugh!" **snapped the hooded man. "Nidoking, Horn Attack!"

"Lucky, dodge that klutz!" shouted Tony.

"Bree-hee!" shouted Lucky, dodging the sharp horn of the Poison/Ground type effortlessly, whirling away from her foe.

"Confusion time!" shouted Tony. "Hit with all ya got!"

"Freeee!" screamed Lucky, unleashing a powerful violet burst of mental energy. The attack battered Nidoking, sending him to the ground with a roar of pain.

**"Nidoking! Fight back! Poison Jab!" **shouted the mystery man.

"Nido KING!" roared Nidoking, shooting foward and jabbing his horn at Lucky.

"Lucky, dodge it again!" shouted Tony.

"Flutter!" chirped Lucky, shooting easily to the side, right past the enraged Nidoking.

Tony smirked. _He isn't fast enough to hit her,_ he thought. "Now, Confusion, one more time!"

"Bree!" shouted Lucky, unleashing one last bolt of mental force at her foe. The attack battered the Nidoking, and sent him to the floor, knocked out.

Tobias tried to hide his smirk. "Nidoking is unable to battle! Tony gets his first K.O.!"

"Way to go, Lucky!" shouted Tony, giving the Butterfree a thumbs up.

Lucky grinned as she flitted about, happy to be the center of Tony's attention once more.

**"Hmph!" **the mystery man huffed. **"I've seen better... Well, then, time for me to stop fooling about with you!"**

Tony sighed. "Dude, just send out your Pokemon."

**"Very well!" **the man said, raising his arms. **"Prepare yourself, feeble mortal! Now you shall taste the wrath of my Vaporeon! Vaporeon, on stage!"**

The man unleashed his Pokemon. The sleek blue and inky black Vaporeon appeared. Rather than face Lucky, however, she pounced back to the hooded man, landing on his lap and purring adorably. "Vapor!"

**"Wha-? Vaporeon! We're battling now! Get off!"**

Tony blinked. He faintly saw a flash of electric blonde hair underneath the cloak. "Wait a minute..." he muttered. "Blonde hair... A Nidoking and an overly affectionate Vaporeon? Shouts 'on stage'? Josh, is that you?"

**"What? N-no! Of course not! Who is this Josh of which you speak, feeble... feeble..." **The man paused and began to cough and rub his throat. "Ah man, this voice is killing my throat..."

"Hey? What happened to his voice?" asked one of the fans who were watching the match, a young teenage girl.

The hooded man coughed. "Uh... I mean... **I forfit! Farewell!**" And with that, he retturned his unhappy Vaporeon, and then he ran off, running into one of the doors that led to the main battle chamber, where the challengers battled Misty Waterflower for the Cascade Badge.

"Uh..." Tobias said, sweatdropping. "The winner is Tony Miller from Pallet Town... I guess..."

Tony looked at Lucky, who stared back at him. "Come on, girl," he said. "We should go make sure if he's okay."

"Good heavens!" Tobias exclaimed, checking his watch. "I'm gonna be late to pick up my girlfriend if I don't hurry!" He began to run towards the room where the mysterious man had gone.

"Hey, wait up!" Tony shouted, following him, Lucky pursuing the both of them.

They tore through the door, following the nerd and the cloaked man into the hallway.

They reached the entrance to the next room. The doors were shut, and the sounds of a fierce Pokemon battle were echoing inside, with orders of "Stomp!" and "Water Pulse!" loud and clear.

Standing by the door was Tobias, waiting for the battle to be over. And next to him was the man with the cloak, the black hood drawn down revealing himself to indeed be Josh Belmont. The rockstar was rubbing his throat unhappily. "Oh, my poor throat... Hey, nerd! You got a cough drop?"

"My name is not 'nerd!" snapped Tobias. "Go hide somewhere else, weirdo!"

"Hey!" Josh said, indignant. "_I_ happen to have a meeting with the gym leader when she's done her battle! What business do you have here?"

"_I'm_ meeting my girlfriend here!" retorted Tobias.

"Uh... Hey?" said Tony walking up.

Josh turned around. "Oh, hey! Tony man!" he said, giving the bug catcher a high five. "Been a while, right? Sorry about that dark lord get up earlier, by the way."

"Ah, no, it's cool," Tony said. "Don't want to risk running into fangirls, I know."

"_This_ guy has fangirls?" asked Tobias, incredulously.

"Yeah, he's Josh Belmont, you know?" said Tony.

"Ah, yes," said Tobias, adjusting his glasses. "That guy who does all the covers. Right."

"Yeah," Josh said. "I am. And you are?"

"Oh, this is Tobias," said Tony. "He helped me take out some Rockets in Mt. Moon."

"Ah, yeah," said Josh. "I heard about that Mt. Moon thing. Good job, by the way. How come I'm never around when you get to the serious action?"

"Trust me," Tony said. "It's not as glamourous as the news makes it out to be."

"Bree ree," agreed Lucky, shaking her head.

"So," asked Tobias. "Why were you out there picking fights? Doesn't a bigshot like you have other things to be doing?"

"Normally I would," Josh answered. "I was waiting for the meeting with Misty, but I got bored. She had a challenger, some blue haired chick with an attitude. They've been fighting for almost an hour now! So, I got bored and went to see if there was any talent in this place. I saw you walk in, Tony, and remembered that I never had a battle with you before. I wanted to see if you were decent enough."

"Well, appearently I was good enough to make your forfeit, eh?" Tony chuckled.

"Oh, don't you go get cocky!" said Josh. "Anyways, the meeting'll be starting soon. I need to meet up with Misty and my partner."

"Partner?" asked Tony. "I thought you were a solo act!"

"Oh, I am still am!" Josh said, raising his hands. "But I am came here with a fellow rising celebrity to try and convince Misty Waterflower to join up for the big tournament. We need all the support we can get to get a sizable crowd down. Even I can only bring so many screaming fans!"

"Ah, that makes sense," said Tony. "Who is your partner?"

Josh gave a cheeky grin. "None other than the Angelica Ann Angel herself!" he said, proudly.

"Oh, really?" asked Tobias, folding his arms.

"Yup," Josh said. "She is a total knockout too! I asked her out, but she said she couldn't. I heard she has a boyfriend somewhere, but he's never been seen. What do you think my chances are, really?"

"Not good," answered Tobias, shaking his head.

"Ah, what do you know?" said a slightly annoyed Josh.

Before anything else could be said, the door to the battle arena swung open. The three boys and the Butterfree whirled around to see a blue haired, blue eyed and red faced girl come steaming out of the room, muttering to herself. "Lousy... Cheating... Bratty... Mrrrrgh!" she growled to herself.

She paused, and looked at the the boys and Lucky. Her cross expression melted away. "Oh," she said. "Please excuse me, boys."

"Uh... Sure..." said Tony, as they all stepped aside.

"Thank you," the bluenette said with a curtsy, before walking off again, muttering darkly and angrily to herself once more.

An orange haired girl appeared at the door, wearing a dark blue tankini. "Better luck next time, Smurfette!" she called down to the other girl. "You were a lot better this time!"

"My name is not Smurfette!" shouted the girl, before slamming the door out behind her.

The red head shook her head, chuckling to herself. "Ah, Marrisa..." She looked up at the three boys. "Hmm? Who are...?" She paused, and her eyes widened. "Hey! I know you!"

Josh shuddered. "Oh no..."

"You're Tony Miller!" the girl shouted, pointing at Tony. "I saw your face in the papers, and Brock told me all about you!"

Josh sweatdropped and gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness..."

"And you're Josh Belmont!" the girl said, happily. "I love your music! Could I get an autograph?"

Josh sighed, and pulled out his pen. "Sure..."

The girl blushed. "Oh, wait!" she said. "Where are my manners? I'm Misty, Gym Leader of Cerulean City! Nice to meetcha!"

"Nice to meet you too!" said Tony, shaking her hand.

"Yeah, yeah," said Misty. "Heard about that number you did on those Rockets! Great job! Those jerks had it comin'!" She pulled a notebook out and handed it to Josh. "Make it out to 'My friend, Misty'," she said to the rock star.

"Sure..." Josh muttered.

"Misty?" a voice called. "Is Josh back?"

The most beautiful girl Tony had ever seen poked her head out of the doorway. She had straight, perfectly neat blonde hair, and a pair of shining amber eyes.

"Hey, Angey!" said Josh, waving. "I'm back! Oh, and this is Tony, a friend of mine," he said, gesturing to Tony. "And this is..."

Tobias walked foward. "Angel-face!"

Angelica's eyes widened and brightened. "Tobias!" she said, happily. She ran over to him and gave him a peck on the lips.

Tony couldn't believe his eyes. Josh actually fell over, stuttering incoherently. Even Misty seemed pretty surprised.

"Ooh, I've missed you so much while I was on tour!" said Angelica.

"Your sentiments are accepted and returned!" replied Tobias.

"What the...?" Misty finally managed to mutter. You'll forgive this general reactiobn, but Tobias was spindly, pale and had ridiculously huge glasses. By all means, he didn't seem that attractive. Angelica, on the other hand, was a model. Hair the color of gold, lips red, skin flawless and eyes bright and shining like the stars. The two of them together felt almost... unthinkable.

"Guys," Tobias said, bringing them out of their shocked silence, "this is my girlfriend, Angelica Ann Angel!"

"Yeah, we figured..." Tony said, still shell-shocked. "Uh... congratulations..."

"Happy birthday, Angelica!" said Tobias happily.

Angelica grinned. "Thank you so much!" she cried. "I've been looking foward to our date all week! Oh, but first I have my meeting with Misty and Josh. See you at twelve, sweetie!" she said, kissing him on the cheek.

Tobias blushed. "I can't wait! But you have your responsibilities and whatnot. Have fun at your meeting, alright? I'll pick you up at six!"

"See you then, honeybun!" said Angelica said, sweetly. "Come on, Josh. Let's have out meeting!"

"...I... I'm... Coming..." stuttered Josh, nearly speechless.

The door to the battle arena shut, and Angelica, along with a still speechless Misty and Josh.

"Okay..." Tony muttered, still shocked.

"Breeeee...?" Lucky chirped, confused.

Tobias rolled his eyes. "Come on!" he said. "Is it really so hard to believe that I'm dating the most wonderful girl in the world who also happens to be a model?"

"Kinda..."

Tobias rolled his eyes. "Ah, forget you. Well, I guess I need to get going. I'm gonna go get a haircut before the date. Gotta look my best!"

"You do that..." Tony said. "I guess I'll just go and train some more... Better find someone else in the gym."

"Say," Tobias said. "If it's training you want, why not try the Nugget Bridge?"

"The what?" asked Tony.

"The Nugget Bridge," explained Tobias, "is a small bridge north of Cerulean that leads towards Cerulean Cape. It was built a long time ago when settlers first came to this area. They used it to pan for gold nuggets in the river. Now, however, it's become a popular spot for trainers to battle."

Tony thought about it. "Hmm... Sounds good!" he said, giving Tobias a thumbs up. "Come on, Lucky! Let's head to the bridge and see if we can get an opponent!"

"Bree!" Lucky chirped, nodding.

* * *

><p>Walking happily down the streets of Cerulean, with an arm full of grocery bags, Sally Miller hummed happily as she walked back to her hotel, passing people of all shapes, sizes, and colors as she strode to her hotel. She smiled as she walked into the lobby, smiled as she rode up the elevator, and smiled as she walked down the hall to her hotel room.<p>

What she found in the room took her smile right away.

Sally opened the door and walked into the hotel. Humming to herself, she placed the groceries on the counter of the mini kitchen and began to set to work.

She paused, her throat feeling dry.

"What in heavens name are you doing here? !" she snapped.

Sitting on the couch, legs folded and arms crossed, was Anna Maruko. "I own the hotel," she said, matter of factly. "It can be quiet a profitable business, you know. Or you wouldn't know, I suppose." She stood up and walkecd towards her sister. "I just thought I'd pay you a visit," she said, trying to stay calm. She looked very irate.

"Get out! Get out now!" snapped Sally, marching towards her sister.

"I want to talk," hissed Anna. "About m_y son_. Not _your son_. _My son_."

"You don't have a son!" Sally shot back, face to face with her older sister. "If you really thought that Tony was your son, then you'd have watched him! Protected him! Like a mother would!"

Anna sneered angrily, pulling out a newspaper. "Just like you, hmm?" she asked, slamming the paper on the coffee table. On it, it had a picture of Tony, with a report detailing the battles at Mt. Moon. "You call this taking _protecting_ him? !"

Sally was silent, shaking with anger but unable to retort.

"I call it reckless endangerment," Anna snapped. "I've had enough of you and your empty words!"

"Oh, like you're one to talk about empty words!" Sally shot back. "You lied to Tony, and abandoned him!"

"I did what I had to do!" Anna clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "I know what I'm doing, Sally! I'm not just some... some stupid _housewife_ who watchs after her nephew, wishing that he was hers because she _can't concieve!_"

SLAP.

Sally brought her hand hard across Anna's face, leaving a bright red mark over the blonde's cheeck.

"GET. OUT. NOW!" Sally shouted, pulling a Pokeball from her purse. "Get out or I'll have Wattson get rid of you! Now!"

Anna snarled. She had left her own Pokemon at the limo. She didn't know Sally had any. "Fine," she said at last, straightening her hair. "Be as defiant as you wish. But don't forget. Now that I know what... _steller care_ you're handling Tony with, I'm going to be keeping my own eyes on him. And when the time comes," she ended dangerously, "he _will be coming home. Understand?"_

"Get out..." Sally growled.

Anna glared at her, before stomping over to the door, opening it up, and slamming it roughly shut.

Sally stared after her for a few minutes, before finally sucumbing to her emotions. Rage, sorrow, fear and hatred bubbled up inside. She collapsed to her knees, and began to cry.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Well, Tony and Josh have met up again, and we've met two new OCs, Tobias' lovely girlfriend, Angelica, and this mysterious bluenette. Who could she be? Could she know another member of Tony's company?**

**Well, either way, Anna's back and badder than ever! And poor Sally's having a breakdown too, after her own sister cut her down with some pretty searing words. I'm a little surprised I wrote some of those. (Then again, I also wrote "I'm not racist. I hate you all _e_.") Will things ever be right among the sisters, or are they doomed to fight like that forever?**

**Well, that's all he wrote, folks! Tune in next time for Tony's training montage!**

**PLAY THE ROCKY THEME!**

**"It's the eye of the tiger..."**


	24. Clash on the Big Bridge!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony went to the Cerulean Gym and practiced against a mysterious hooded man, who was revealed to be Josh Belmont, his famous friend! He also learned that Tobias is dating Angelica Anne Angel, the famous model! Meanwhile, Sally was confronted by Anna, who told her that she would do everythingin her power to bring Tony back to Celedon with her.**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

**Oh, by the way. Yes, this chapter is named after the Final Fantasy song. And yes, you need to listen to it during the fight scenes.**

**Roll film!**

* * *

><p>Nugget Bridge. (Has nothing to do with chicken, mind you.) The bridge that connected Cerulean to the cape. The bridge had one been a simple wooden platform once upon a time, but after a bad flood, the section was filled up with dirt and stone to dam up the river and help prevent flooding, which also prevented anyone panning for gold, and also the rivers flow. Eventually, they placed some stone pipes into the dirt to allow the river to flow again. The bridge became a quick attraction for trainers. They enjoyed to battle by the rushing water, when the weather was clear and clean.<p>

Tony quickly caught sight of the bridge. The air was warm, but breezy, the perfect day to be out in the summer. He had made a quick stop at the Pokemon Center to heal up Tochu, before heading off to the bridge. He looked over the large boardwalk, very impressed. It was about eight feet wide and thirty or thirty five feet across. He could see a few trainers on the bridge, looking each other over, and making sure their Pokemon were ready to battle. However, a very familiar trainer was on the bridge, shouting orders to her Pokemon.

"Good job, Luna! You're getting it! Pound again!"

"Hey, Lucky!" Tony said. "It's Nicole and her Clefairy!"

"Ree!" said Lucky, recognizing the girl from the Mt. Moon aftermath.

Nicole was locked in a dual with another lass with a Raticate. Tony winced as he saw the rodent Pokemon gnash its fangs. He had had a bad experience as a child with Raticate, back when he had first met Lucky. He knew the Pokemon could be a vicious little bugger. The Clefairy, Luna, looked pretty scared, but determined too. Tony felt for the poor Clefairy, knowing that she had to bear a good deal of Kayla's wrath. Someone really ought to put that looney away...

"Raticate!" shouted the other lass. "Come on! Get 'er! Hyper Fang!"

"Stop it with Sing, Luna!" shouted Nicole.

Luna opened her mouth and began to sing in a slow, but trembling voice. "C-cle-faiiiiiiry..." she sang.

The Raticate gritted its teeth unhappily as the he clenched his ears, trying to keep the noise out. Sadly, this left him open for another attack, and Nicole said that.

"Alright!" the bluenette said. "Pound again, go!"

Luna bounced foward her fist outstreatched as it smashed into the Raticate's face, sending the Rat Pokemon down and out.

"Alright!" Nicole shouted. "You did it Luna!" she cried, giving the Clefairy a warm hug.

Luna looked a bit uncomfortable, but she returned it anyway.

The lass returned her Pokemon, threw a few coins at Nicole's feet, and stomped off unhappily, muttering to herself. Some people were such sore losers. Nicole scooped up the coins and placed them into her bag, before she finally noticed Tony. "Oh, hey!" she said. "You're finally out and about!"

"Yeah, I've been out for a while!" Tony said. "Good battle, by the way! Your Clefairy was great!"

"Yeah, she was!" said Nicole, picking up Luna and cuddling her. "But she's still feeling a little skittish after the whole... Ahem, Reeds incident..." the bluenette muttered, distastefully. "Poor little Luna..." she cooed, cuddling the Clefairy.

"Well, if she needs more practice, I'm your guy!" said Tony. "Tochu and I need some practice before the gym battle!"

Nicole shook her head. "Nah, I'm gonna have to pass for now. It's almost lunchtime, and my Pokemon and me are hungry. Maybe I'll catch you after lunch!"

Tony shrugged. "Nah, no rush," he said. "I can find someone else to take on."

"Good," said Nicole, smiling as she returned Luna to her snug little Pokeball. "Well, I-!"

"Nicole darling!" shouted a peppy female voice.

Tony and Nicole whirled to see a familiar looking girl in a bright yellow sundress stride towards them, followed by a well dressed man carrying a large pile of shopping bags behind him. It was the same blue haired girl who strode angrily out of Cerulean Gym not ten minutes before.

Nicole grinned. "Oh!" she said, surprised. "Hi, Marissa!"

The bluenettes hugged one another. "Oh, Tony, this is Marissa Wingleton. She's an heiress."

"Pleased to make your aquaintance," said Marissa politely.

"Uh... Hi, I guess..." Tony said, rubbing the back of his head.

"'Hi'?" Marissa said, raising an eyebrow. "You meet the richest girl in Cerulean and all you can say is 'hi'?" She sounded a bit offended.

Tony coughed. "Um... Hello, ma'am?" he offered. He was really a little confused. First a rock-star, then a beautiful model and then a beautiful heiress? He was certainly running into a good deal of exotic people on this journey!

Marissa sighed, and Nicole rolled her eyes. "Ignore her," nicole said. "She's a little... high-strung."

"Nicole!" Marissa said, folding her arms. "A little support would be nice..."

Nicole blushed. "Sorry! Can't be helped!"

Marissa rolled her eyes. "Hmph," she muttered. "Well, either way, charmed to meet you," she told Tony. "Though, I must confess, I swear I've seen you somewhere before..."

"Well, I was in the papers a bit ago," said Tony. Technically, he had been in the papers that very day too, but whatever.

"Hmm, no, I never read the papers," said Marissa thoughtfully. "Where was it...? I know!" she exclaimed suddenly. "The Maruko Corporation's Annual Party, about eight years ago, right?"

Tony froze. He felt his mouth dry up. He could faintly remember going to a party with his mother years ago. He remembered having to wear that uncomfortable and ridiculous mini-tuxedo, and sitting on a chair all by himself, while his maid/babysitter Charline kept an eye on him whilst his mother made some sort of speech about charity and kindness that she herself had obviously never taken seriously. _Just my luck! _he thought. _This girl can actually remember a party from, like, nine years ago? !_ Tony winced, he opened his mouth to say something, but Nicole beat him to it.

"Come on, Marissa!" said Nicole, laughing. "Tony at some kind of big charity party for rich people? He comes from Pallet Town!"

"Y-yeah, that's right!" said Tony, breathing a breath of relief. "Been in Pallet Town all my life! And I'm definatly not rich!"

Marissa stared hard at Tony. "I never forget a face..." she muttered. "I have absolutely pristine memory, you know." She stared for another minute and then, finally, shrugged. "Well, perhaps I did see your face in the newspaper. Hmm..."

"Anyways..." Tony said, trying to move along over that touchy subject. "You probably saw me down at the Cerulean Gym. I saw you lose to-"

Marissa made a growling sound. "Misty..." she seethed angrily, clenching her fists.

Nicole face-palmed. "Again?" she asked Marissa.

Marissa folded her arms and huffed. "I cannot help it if eternal rivals are to be drawn together by fate to battle," she said. She turned to the suit-wearing man next to her. "Casper, be a dear and fetch the limo."

"Very good, Ms. Wingleton," said Capser, walking off with his heavy burden as if it was as light as a feather.

Marissa despised Misty. The two were both heiresses who lived in the same city, yes, and they were neighbors too. They went to the same parties, their families often spent time together, so one would think that they would be at least semi-friendly. Two girls who would've been good friends, if their personalities hadn't gotten in the way. Misty had a bad habit of calling Marissa smurfette, due to her bright blue hair. Marissa hated that. Also, while Misty was a tom-boy, Marissa was much more elegent and controlled (usually, mind you). To make matters worse, they both vied for the same position: Gym Leader of Cerulean. Both girls were swimmers, and both used only Water-Types, as Cerulean tradition demanded. But Misty's Starmie, with its wide array of Psychic Attacks, won her the day, and the position of Gym Leader. Marissa angrily would constantly go to and from that Gym, hoping to defeat Misty and one day be able to take that spot back. The spot she had dreamed of since she was a child.

Nicole laughed. Not rudely, really. She couldn't help it. "Marissa, you so crazy!" she laughed. "I guess that explains the comfort shopping, huh?"

Marissa growled. "I thought my best friend would be of some comfort at such a time, thank you!" she said, unhappily.

"Oh, don't be like that!" said Nicole.

Marissa sighed. "Well, either way, I'm heading to lunch. Would you like to come, Nicole?"

"Oh, sure!" said Nicole, feeling pretty hungry (as well as knowing that Marissa's taste in resturants was quite excellent.) "See ya Tony!" she said. "Gimme a call when you go and take on Misty! I'll be there to cheer for you!"

"Uh, thanks!" said Tony.

A sleek black limosine drove up, Casper in the driver's seat. Nicole and Marissa got in and waved goodbye as they drove off to lunch.

Tony and Lucky shook their heads in unison. "This has been a weird day..." he muttered.

"Bree..."

"Well..." Tony muttered. "Training time!"

"Bree!"

* * *

><p>Tony was dissapointed to discover that none of the trainers wanted to battle him. They either were heading off to lunch, battling someone else, or weren't willing to fight a trainer who had tangled with Team Rocket twice and won.<p>

It was lonely on the top. Or the semi-middle, or where ever he was.

Tony was dissapointed, but not discouraged. He decided that he and his Pokemon could do some training on their own.

So, Tony walked over the Nugget Bridge and headed to the little grassy shore at the left side. There was enough room for them to train there.

Tony released his Pokemon and set to work with Lucky, gathering large sticks that were lying on the ground, and using Alph's webbing to tie them together into vaguely human-esque figures. He stuck them into the ground, and his Pokemon lined up.

Tony walked up and down beside the line, hands behind his back, and head held high, Drill Sergent Style. "Alright," he said, "today, Alph and Tochu are going to have some training. Lucky and I used this same style of training back when we were younger, so it should (hopefully) work with you guys. Now!" he said, staring down at the nervous Tochu. "Let's practice your Scratch attack, Tochu! Maybe we can turn it into a Slash attack!"

"Paras..." said Tochu, feeling unsure.

"Good! Now, get that dummy!" Tony shouted, pointing to one of the wooden puppets.

Knowing that the dummy couldn't hit him back was enough for Tochu. He crawled foward and leaped at the target, slicing at it with his claw.

Unfortunatly for the Paras, the wood was quite thick, and his claw got stuck in it. The Mushroom Pokemon grunted unhappily as he tugged and tugged at the wood, desperate to free his stuck claw.

Tony and Lucky face-palmed in unison. "This is gonna take a while..." Tony muttered. "Alph, wanna give him a hand?"

"Raak," Alph said, shooting a strand of webbing at Tochu, before pulling the Paras off the target.

Tochu turned redder than he actually was. He felt very hot and humiliated. Alph and Lucky were experienced, skilled fighters, while he was just a... well, a Paras, who had little skill and even less courage. It must have been very hard for Lucky and Alph to be seen around him...

He felt a hand touch his head tenderly. He looked up to see Tony, who gave him that bizaare human gesture - a thumbs up. "Hey, don't worry!" he said, encouraging the small Paras. "We just need some more practice!"

"Paras..." muttered Tochu.

Tony grinned. "Alright, let's try again! Scratch attack! And Alph, let's try a Poison Sting!"

* * *

><p>If insects could sweat, Tochu and Alph would.<p>

The two insects were tired out from the vigorous training excersize. Tony and Lucky had given them each and difficult work-out. They were supposed to feel stronger, but they felt pretty weak and tired. Tony and Lucky had trained them hard. At the end of their session, each target that Tony and Alph had made was lying in pieces across the battlefield, a grim testatment to their power.

Of course, now they were exhausted, and pretty hungry. Fortunatly, Tony still had plenty of Pokemon food, so he opened up three cans and let them dig in. The Pokemon glady did so, all tired after their workout, with an exception for Lucky, who was used to such training.

As his insects eagerly dug into the food, Tony took off his sunhat and waved it in his face, fanning the sweat from his brow as he sat on a rock by the tall grass. Shouting orders was tougher than it looked.

"Hey! You!"

Tony raised an eyebrow. Where had he heard that voice before...

A young girl, with short blonde hair and wearing a blue skirt, white t-shirt, and blue vest over it. She had a determined look in her eyes, and she was clutching a bright red Pokeball.

"We meet again!" the girl said.

"Heeeeeey... You..." Tony said. "Uh... You are...?"

"Karen! Karen you idiot!" snapped the girl.

"Right, right, the girl from Viridian!" said Tony, letting the idiot comment slide.

"Yeah," Karen said. "Me. Now, you promsed me a battle!"

"No... I didn't..." Tony said, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"Yes you did!" snapped Karen. "Come on! Let's go! Two Pokemon vs. two Pokemon!"

"We just kinda got done training..." Tony said.

"We're gonna battle!"

"And my Pokemon are kind of tired..."

"We're gonna battle!"

"And my aunt is probably waiting with my lunch..."

"We're gonna battle!"

"I'm kinda hungry..."

"We're gonna battle!"

"And..."

"We're! Going! To! Battle!" Karen said. She was cleary the kind of girl who expected reality to bend to her wishes and wants.

Tony sighed. "Fine, fine, we'll battle," he muttered. He didn't really know why he was so unhappy; he had wanted a battle after all. He would just prefer to have one with someone less obnoxious.

"Alright!" Karen declared, pulling a Pokeball out. "To Nugget Bridge!"

* * *

><p>The late afternoon sun was beating down on Cerulean when Tony and Karen had their stand-off.<p>

The two fair-haired youths faced off, standing ten feet away from one another. Green eyes and blue eyes locked in a battle of stares. Each had a Pokemon at hand, and was ready to battle.

"Go!" Tony said, opening his Pokeball. "Tochu!"

The Paras materialized on the bridge, having had some rest and food to help restore his strength. He raised his claws, hoping that the training will have paid off.

Karen grinned and giggled. "Okay, then I chose Blaze!" she opened her own Pokeball and unleashed her Pokemon.

A bright red lizard Pokemon with a single horn appeared, snarling. "Char! Meleon!"

Tony swallowed and pulled out his Pokedex. **"Charmeleon, the Flame Pokemon. The evolved form of Charmander, Charmeleon is a fierce fighter who uses sharp claws and super-hot flames to destroy its foes. When it evolves, it grows instinctivly more aggressive, and will only follow orders from one it views as its better. Though scarce in the wild, Charmeleon are pack animals, who lived with others of their evolutionary family. This specimen is about four years old, female, and knows the moves Ember, Flamethrower, Smoke-screen and Slash."**

"Hoh, boy," said Tony, ready to return Tochu to the Pokeball. A Bug/Grass Type vs a Fire Type was a bad, bad, bad, bad, _bad_ idea! "Uh, Tochu, you might wanna..."

"Too late!" said Karen. "Now, Blaze, annihilate 'em with Flamethrower!"

The Charmeleon opened her mouth and lazily breathed out a puff of smoke, surprising both Tony and Karen.

"H-hey!" snapped Karen. "What are you waiting for! Get him!"

Blaze sat down and curled up with her tail, deciding to nap instead.

Tony couldn't surpress his chuckle. _Blaze doesn't respect Karen as a leader,_ he thought. _She won't take her orders!_

Karen growled and returned the Charmeleon to its Pokeball. "T-that one didn't count!" she cried angrily.

Tony shrugged. "Uh... Fine, I guess. You're up!"

Karen pulled out another Pokeball and let it fly. "Go! Licky!"

A large pink Pokemon appeared, lizard like and odd. A massive pink tongue, coated with saliva, trailed down from its mouth. "Likcki!"

Tony's Pokedex beeped again. **"Lickitung, the Licking Pokemon. Lickitung has a massive tongue that is longer than its actual body. It uses this tongue for gathering fruits, cleaning itself, and for protection against foes. The saliva is a paralyzing poison that can render foes helpless, similar to the Gastly Line of Pokemon. This specimen is male, about five years of age, and knows the moves Lick, Wrap, Toxic and Stomp."**

"Alright," Tony said. "Normal Type. The odds are a wee bit better now."

"Stomp, Licky!" shouted Karen, pointing at the much smaller Tochu.

"Licki!" said Licky, raising his foot over Tochu before bringing it down.

"Dodge, Tochu!" shouted Tony.

The Paras squeaked as it leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Now, use Spore!" shouted Tony.

"Para!" Tochu chirped, shaking his mushrooms and unleashing spores upon the Lickitung.

Licky's eyes began to droop, and he struggled to keep standing as he breathed in the sleeping powders. "Tung..." he said, sleepily.

"No, no, no!" Karen shouted. "Licky! Stay awake!"

Licky groaned as he rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake. That was all the opening Tony needed. "Now, Tochu, let's try out Slash again!"

Tochu viciously raked the Lickitung across the face with his claws. He felt a small wave of pride and triumph rush through his body as the Lickitung hit the ground with a cloud of dust. The training had paid off after all!

"Licky!" snapped Karen. "Stand up! Fight back!"

The Lickitung struggled to stand, but the Spore atack had sapped his will to tstay awake, much less raised an arm (or tongue) to defend himself.

"Slash again, Tochu!" Tony ordered.

Tochu Slashed at the Lickitung again and again, swiming it with his sharp claws and leaving bright red marks on its body.

"One more time!" Tony called. "We got this!"

Tochu shot foward to deliver the ending blow, but at that moment Licky opened his eyes and his tongue shot out.

"Tochu! Look out!" shouted Tony.

"Gotcha!" said Karen, grinning. "Lick attack!"

Licky's tongue slapped Tochu hard across the face, leaving a thick layer of spit on the poor Paras's face.

"Now! Wrap!" shouted Karen fiercely.

The Lickitung's massive tongue shot towards Tochu faster than the Paras could react, wrapping around him with slimy coils. Tochu struggled and squirmed in the Lickitung's disgusting grip, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Tochu!" Tony called. "Break free!"

"Too late for that!" snapped Karen. "Stomp, Licky!"

"Tung!" Licky shouted, slamming the Paras onto the ground and raising his foot sending it smashing down towards Tochu.

"Tochu!" Tony shouted.

Tochu chirped and squealed as he finally managed to break free of the tongue just in time. Licky's foot slammed down...

Right onto his own tongue.

"LICKINTUUUUUUNG!" the poor creature cried as he stumbled back, clutching his wounded tongue.

"Tochu!" Tony called, regaining his wits. "Leech Life!"

Tochu shot foward and leaped at the moaning Lickitung, sinking his teeth into the Normal Type's leg. Licky cried out and stumbled backwards... right off of the bridge.

KER-SPLOOSH!

"Tochu!"

"Licky!"

Both trainers, concerned for their Pokemon, looked over the edge, forgetting that the river than ran underneath the Nugget Bridge was relativly shallow.

Tochu was looking up at the two humans with wide eyes. Sitting next to him was the out-cold Licky, his tongue hanging out. Tochu nervously poked the Lickitung. "Par par sar ras?" (Did I do that?)

"Alright!" cheered Tony, raising his arms into the air. "Great job, Tochu!"

"I... I lost?" asked Karen, unable to believe it. "But I never lose!"

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Tony said. "Good game though, you really gave us a run for out money." He held out his hand, expecting her to shake it.

Karen growled as she returned Licky. "J-just you wait!" she snarled. "I'll get you next time!" she threatened, running off to the Pokemon Center. No sportsman's handshake, no compensation, no good games, no nothin'.

_What a rude girl..._ Tony thought, as he returned the surprised Tochu to his own Pokeball.

He heard his stomach growl.

_Well, can't be helped,_ Tony thought. "Come on, guys," he told his Pokemon, clipped onto his belt. "Let's go back to the hotel!"

* * *

><p>"Stupid... Cheating... Argh! Raaagh!"<p>

Karen growled and grumbled to herself as she stomped outside the Pokemon Center, angry and bewildered.

She lost. She actually lost. She never lost, ever!

It wasn't fair!

She stomped down the pavement angrily. _Stupid Blaze,_ she thought. _I would have won if she did what I said! I would have won easy!_

She was so angry and steaming that she didn't notice the limo drive up to her, and she didn't see the window roll down.

"So here you are."

Karen nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to face the woman inside the limo. "D-don't do that!"

"Get in," said Anna Maruko, coldly. "We're going back to Celedon."

Karen sighed. "Yes, mother."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Another chapter done, and on time! Whoot!<strong>

**I've actually been doing a lot of fanfic work this week. I've been working on a Golden Sun oneshot, a Pokemon Black and White one shot, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Prehistory (which hasn't been updated in so long no one will probably read it when I do update...), and I've been putting the finishing touches on Sour Apples. Not to mention trying to find a job and glazing windows too.**

**Well, can't be helped.**

**So, we got to meet Marrisa, an extremely wealthy girl who lives in Cerulean and is Misty's onesided rival. Looking back... Yeah, her dialogue could use a wee bit of work... I'll try to make her more "actual human being and original character" and less "Rairty from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."**

**Ah well.**

**And we got to see Tony's rival too! Karen's back and... what's this? Anna's daughter? ! What new spore of madness...?**

**Anyways, review if you'd please! **

**Thanks for reading! I'll update soon!**


	25. Cerulean Blues

**Last time, on Tony's Journey... **

**Tony met up with Nicole and her friend, an heiress named Marissa, who could've swore she had met Tony before at the Maruko Corporation Charity Party, much to Tony's chagrin. Then, our hero met with his one-sided rival Karen, and beat her in an epic battle between his Paras and her Lickitung. However, we also discovered that Karen is Anna Maruko's daughter!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>"And that's what ya do with a drunken sailor, that's what you do with a drunken sailor..."<p>

A strange old man walked down the halls of the hotel, with two large fishbowls tucked underneath his arms. He hummed and whistled as he approached his room in the hotel. The elderly fisher was happy. He loved Cerulean - it was his hometown after all. He loved the sights, the smells, the diner that had been there since he was just a boy, and he loved the fishing. Which is what he had been doing.

"Alrighty, yer majesty," Pappy said, placing the two bowls onto the floor. One contained Cap'n, and then other contained Pappy's newest fish, a female Goldeen he had nicknamed Queen. "Welcome to our home away from home," the sailor said, pulling out his card key and slipping it into the lock. He happily carried both Pokemon into the hotel room.

However, a sad sight was waiting for him.

Sally Miller was sitting on the couch, her face between her hands, sobbing softly. She was unaware of Pappy's return.

"Sally?" Pappy asked. "Sally girl, what's wrong?"

Sally sniffled, looking up at the old man. "P-Pappy," she said. "You're back..."

"I am back," Pappy said. "And I wanna know why yer cryin'! Come on, you call tell ol' Pappy..."

"Anna..." Sally said, wiping tears from her cheeks. "She came here..."

Pappy froze. "She wha-?"

"She said... She said she wanted Tony back..." Sally sobbed. "She said she was going to take him back too... And that there was nothing I could do about it..."

Pappy sat down on the couch, placing Cap'n and Queen on the coffee table. "Well," he said. "If she wants Tony back, she's gonna have to go through me to do it!" he said, angrily. "Who does that woman think she is? First she abandons her kid and then she says she wants him back! She made her choice a long time ago! Besides, Tony wouldn't go with her even if she could get through me!" he promised the weeping woman.

"B-but what if she tries to take legal action?" asked Sally. "She's rich and powerful... what if... what if she can bribe the courts... and buy off all the witnesses?"

Pappy sighed. Sally had been watching too many cops dramas. Then again, this was Anna they were talking about...

Finally, he spoke. "Sally... Look. Anna left Tony. She's been gone for over five years, and she hasn't paid either a visit or child support. Any court that sent Tony t'live with her would have to be made up by a huge bunch of idiots!"

Sally sniffled again.

"Look," said Pappy. "There's no way in heaven 'r the other place that I would let Anna lay one finger on Tony. You are a thrity year old woman, Sally, you have got to let Anna stop pushing you around! Besides, you got Pappy watchin' out for ya, Sally-girl. Ya don't have to worry about a thing!"

Sally hugged Pappy. "You... you're right, Pappy. Thank you."

"I always am..." Pappy bragged.

There was a knock on the door.

Sally felt her heart beat faster. Could Anna be back?

Pappy wasn't taking any chances. He picked up Queen's fishbowl and slowly walked to the door. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Um... Kelly..."

Pappy paused. "Who?" he asked, after a second.

"I'm a friend of Tony's...? You know... Kelly? The girl from the caves?"

Pappy narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you're really this Kelly?" he demanded.

"Are you serious? ! I just had to walk up three flights of stairs because the elevator was broken with a cast and crutches! You're gonna turn me away? !"

Sally sighed, putting on her cheerful face. "Let her in, Pappy. Any friend of Tony's is welcome in our home... or hotel room."

Pappy nodded, before opening the door a crack. "Alright, you can come in. But don't try anything funny - I've got a Goldeen, and I'm not afraid to use 'er!"

"Deen," chimed Queen, lazily. Personally, she was hoping that Pappy would go out and buy her a bigger bowl. Maybe with one of those little divers and a little castle. (Keeping fish Pokemon can be pricy, if you couldn't tell.)

The door opened, and a silvery haired girl came in, a pair of crutches propelling her into the room. "Uh... Hello," she said as politely as she could muster.

"Hello!" greeted Sally, as cheerfully as she could. "You must be Kelly! Come on in, have a seat! Would you like a drink? We have water, lemonade, soad, apple juice, orange juice..."

"Water would be very nice, thank you," Kelly said, surprised. She wasn't used to being waited upon. Well, at the hospital, sure, sure, it was the nurse's job to wait on her - but this lady was doing it without any real reason.

Weird.

Kelly found herself with a cup of water (she was begining to wish for some juice - she hadn't had any in years) and quickly discovered that both Sally Miller and Pappy Miller (Kelly hadn't been able to discover his real name. He was just "Pappy".) were quiet intent on learning everything there was to know about her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Do you like the water? Did I add too much ice?"

"Are your parents in town?"

"How did you get out of the hospital?"

"Was the food okay? Are you hungry?"

"How's your leg feeling?"

"Would you like a sandwich?"

"When will your leg heal up?"

"We have cheese, if you'd like some!"

"Do yer parents know about what happened and Mt. Moon?"

"We have some egg-salad!"

"Pretty rough for such a young girl, isn't it?"

"If you want, we have some..."

"Okay, okay! said Kelly, already feeling taxed. "I'm not hungry," she snapped at Sally. However, she quickly remember her position, and added, "Thank you for the generous offer, though. And, uh, I'm feeling fine, thank you, the leg should heal in a couple of days and please, don't worry about me. I've been through worse."

"Did your parents pick you up?" asked Sally.

"Yes, they did," Kelly lied smoothly. In reality, Giovanni had called a pair of Rocket Agents in the area to pretend to be her parents. He also produced some false documents to prove she existed, and that the two agents really were "Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes." Very few people knew of her actual parents, and they never talked much about having a daughter. If someone who had actually heard of the real Rhodes asked her about her name, she could simply shrug it off. After all, it wasn't uncommon for two people to have the same last name and not be related. Heck, there were probably a dozen Miller families out there not even related to Tony.

"Well, it's a good thing that yer're okay," Pappy said. "Is this yer home town, or are yer parents gonna take you there?"

"Oh, no, I was born in Johto," Kelly said. Another lie. "My parents like to travel a lot, and, well, I do too. Speaking of which, I was wondering if it would be okay if I tagged along with Tony for a while."

Sally blinked, surprised. "Travel? While injured?"

"It's only a small injury, don't worry!" Kelly said. "I've travelled with a broken leg before!" Another lie. This is the first broken limb she had ever had.

"Well, it's okay, I guess..." Sally said. "Tony seems to like you a great deal, and travelling without friends is very boring and unhappy." She looked at Kelly curiously, though to Kelly it looked more like suspicion. "But why Tony? Don't you have other friends to travel with?"

Kelly shook her head. "No I don't," she said, honestly. None of the other Rocket Grunts liked her that much. They were all just jealous, or so Kelly thought. "Besides, I reallly like Tony," Now that was a lie "and I really think I could learn a lot about Pokemon training from him." Another lie, and a very funny one too. The thought of Kelly learning _anything_ from Tony ws quite humorous to her, especially in the Pokemon department.

Sally smiled suddenly, her face brightening. "Well then, I'm sure Tony would love to have you come with him!" she said. "You seem like a nice young lady!"

"That's what they tell me!" Kelly said, smiling with false kindness that neither Sally nor Pappy could see. "Don't you worry about a thing, Mrs. Miller! There's a lot I can lean from Tony. And who knows?" Her smile turned into a bit of a smirk. "I'll bet there's a lot he could learn from _me_."

* * *

><p>"One two! One two! One two!"<p>

Cerulean City's Pokemon Center. Like almost every city or town in Kanto, it stood near the entrance to the town, ready to provide medical attention to any Pokemon that were brought in. It stood as a sort of headquarters for travelling trainers; a symbol of rest, peace and free food.

Tayuyu Yamaki was breathing heavily. Sweat dripped down her brow. Her arms pushed her body up and down endlessly as she reached her one hundreth push up. "Done!" she panted out.

Blaze and Mach both gave a gasp of relief. They stood up, their own arms tired from their push-ups. Mach had reached about five _thousand_ by the time Tayuyu made it to a hundred, while Blaze made it to three hundred. Only Kyubi wasn't working out with the others. The Ninetails was flopped lazily on a patch of soft grass napping, much to Tayuyu's chagrin.

Yesterday, Tayuyu had nearly been beaten. Fighting off Team Rocket had proven a deadly challenge, and she had almost lost.

Tayuyu Yamaki had almost lost.

Tayuyu hated losing more than just about anything. It made her face redder than her hair, and it made her feel hot and angry. And losing to Team Rocket made her feel very hot and angry. So, whenever she lost, she trained.

And her Pokemon trained with her.

Except for Kyubi. Lazy Ninetails...

Tayuyu took a massive gulp of water from her water bottle, her dry throat becoming moist and refreshed. She gave a gasp of relief and wiped the sweat off her brow. She gave herself a whiff and made a sour face. She was going to have to take a shower later...

"Done your workout?" asked a voice.

Tayuyu looked up. Sitting in a high branch on the tree that was by the Pokemon Center, was Kirby, sitting there with a loaf of bread and a dozen or so Bird Pokemon, flocking around him as he passed out crumbs to the Flying-Types.

"Yeah," Tayuyu said. "Well, most of us are..." she added, giving Kyubi a glare.

The Ninetails yawned ignorantly.

Tayuyu sighed. "Laziest Ninetails I have ever seen... Anyway, how's the weather up there?"

"Pretty good," said Kirby, looking out to the sun. "Looks like it'll be a sunny day tomorrow. The air is pretty clean too." He took a deep wiff of air, but then made a sour face. "Hmm... There is a hint of Yuyu fumes coming from below, though..."

Tayuyu scowled. "You are so lucky you're up in that tree right now..."

Kirby chuckled, sitting back as he gave what was left of the loaf away to a small Pidgey. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a blonde boy heading towards them.

"Hey! Tony!" the bird-catcher called, waving his hand.

Tony and Lucky came to a stop, Tony breaking on his bike. He swiftly folded up the bike and put it into his backpack. "Heya, guys," he said, breathlessly.

"'Bout time you showed up," said Tayuyu. "Everytime I called your aunt she said you were out training!"

Sorry," Tony said, rubbing the back of his head. "Training and all. Had to train up Tochu and Alph for the Gym Battle."

"Who?" asked Tayuyu.

"Oh! Right!" Tony said, pulling out a Pokeball. "I forgot that you haven't met him!" He activated the Pokeball and released his Paras, Tochu. "This is Tochu!" he said. "Say hi, Tochu!"

Tochu looked up at Tayuyu and Kirby, blinking his large blue eyes. "Paras..."

"Hey, a Paras," said Kirby from his perch. "Pretty cool!"

Tayuyu covered her mouth and nose. "Uh... Yeah, nice... Just keep it away."

"What's the matter?" asked Tony. "You don't like Paras?"

"No, it's not that!" Tayuyu said. "All those spores are aggrivating my allergies." She pulled out her inhaler and took a wiff.

"Oh," Tony said. "Sorry then. Back in you go, Tochu!" he said, returning the slightly dissapointed Paras.

"Well," Kirby said, sliding down from the tree, landing on his bare feet. "Tomorrow's the big fight, right?"

"Aye aye!" said Tony, saluting. "We're gonna face down Misty and take our badge! Oh, and by the way, Aunt Sally is making lasagna tomorrow, and she wants everyone to come and try some!"

"Oooh, sounds good!" said both Tayuyu and Kirby in unison. Neither of them were willing to pass up lasagna, both knowing how amazing Sally Miller's hospitality was.

Tony nodded. "All I have to worry about now is taking down Misty..."

**"Do not speak such words lightly, boy!" **a voice hissed.

The trio of teens turned to see a dark cloaked figure staring at them from behind the tree. **"Misty Waterflower may seem to be just a cute rich girl, but she is no push-over. She has wiped the floor with trainers better than you before, boy!"**

Tony rolled his eyes. "Josh. We've talked about the disguise..."

"Shhhhh!" snapped the figure, who was so obviously Josh. "I'm incognito, dummy!"

Tayuyu rolled her eyes. "Oh, no. Not you again..."

"Oh, hi Tayuyu," said Josh. "You too, Kirby."

"Hey," Kirby said, waving.

"Well, as I was saying," Josh said. "Misty isn't anyone to fool around with, so don't take it lightly!"

"Sure, sure..." Tony said. "I'm good, Josh. Don't worry about me!"

"You'd better be," Tayuyu said. "Remember the Vermillion Tournament? Well, it's in three days! We need to get moving ASAP!"

"Right, Yuyu!" said Kirby. "We have to hurry down to Vermillion!"

"What's the rush, Kirby?" joked Tony. "You in a hurry to lose?"

Kirby laughed. "Big talk from the kid who has a crippling type advantage against everything I can throw at him!"

"Well, I know one for sure!" Josh said, "None of you are gettin' past me!"

"I could get past you with a blindfold on," said Tayuyu.

Josh smirked. "Oh, alright, bring it, Yuyu."

Tayuyu growled. "Do NOT call me Yuyu!" she hissed.

Josh blinked, raising his hands in defense. "H-hey!" he said. "You let Kirby do it!"

Tayuyu blinked. She did do that. "That... that's different!"

"How so?" demanded Josh.

"I kind of like Kirby!" snapped Tayuyu. "You on the other hand, I do not!"

"I'm wounded," Josh said, not really meaning it.

"Hiya guys!"

Josh jumped, whirling abour to see a red headed girl skipping towards them, followed by a dark skinned man. "Oh no!" he peeped.

"Hi guys!" said Katie, waving.

"Hey there!" Brock, following behind, greeted. "Great to see that you all are looking good. Yesterday's events were pretty hectic, weren't they?"

"You're tellin' me!" Tony said. The adventure at Mt. Moon now felt very far-away and distant, like it had happened months ago.

"You heading back to Pewter City?" Kirby asked Brock.

Brock nodded. "Yup. I have to get back to work as a gym leader ASAP! That, and, well..." He smiled shamefully. "Misty kinda scares me..."

"Misty does what now?"

It was Brock's turn to peep at the sound of a woman's voice. He whirled to see Misty Waterflower, wearing her usual tankin, tapping a flip-flop clad foot on the ground with her arms crossed.

"M-Misty!" Brock spluttered. "How nice to see you again!"

"Uh-huh," Misty said, grabbing Brock by the ear. "So, we meet again," she said, turning to Tony. "Ready for out battle tomorrow?"

Tony grinned. "Don't worry about me!" he said. "I can handle myself."

"You'd better!" said Misty. "Otherwise, I'll mop the floor with ya! Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta handle Mr. Snarky here..." She dragged an unhappy Brock off by the ear.

"Heeeeeelp..." Brock said, waving his arms at Katie.

Katie chuckled. "Come on, Brock! You know if a girl torments you and beats up its because she likes you!"

"WHAT WAS THAT? !" snapped Misty, turning to Katie. "YOU'RE DEAD, KATIE!"

Katie swallowed. "RUUUUUUN!" she screamed, shooting into the Pokemon Center. "NURSE JOY, PROTECT ME!"

Misty charged after Katie, shouting and screaming.

The teens sweatdropped. "Uh... They have a past?" asked Tony.

"Oh, no, they're good friends!" said Brock, thankful that Misty wasn't shouting in his ear right now.

"They have a funny way of showing it," muttered Josh, equally thankful that Katie hadn't discovered him. He looked at his watch. "Well, I gotta go now, guys. Sorry."

"Don't be," Tayuyu said.

"Well, I have to get ready for my act and all," said Josh. "Plus, I gotta do some training for the big tournament! Thank goodness Mrs. Maruko is providing me with some training facilities."

Tony felt his blood freeze. Lucky began to flit slowly about. "Wha... What?" Tony managed to murmer.

"Oh, right, didn't I mention that?" asked Josh. "I'm working for Anna Maruko from Maruko Corp. She's helping finance the tournament."

Tony blinked. "Oh. That's... nice."

"Yeah, it is!" said Josh. "She pays pretty well, and working for her is a step up on the ladder of fame."

Tayuyu nodded. "Well, Maruko does have the Maruko Department Store, so she is rich enough to help with something like the Vermillion Tournament. Besides, it'd be great advertising for her."

"Of course!" said Brock. "Everyone loves the Maruko Department Store!"

Tony didn't hear any of what they said. They went on talking for some time. But he wasn't listening.

Out of all the people Josh could work for, out of all the possibilities, he had to chose Anna Maruko. Why Anna Maruko? !

Tony felt his frozen blood thaw and then boil. Anna Maruko. The woman who had abondoned him, who left him with his Aunt and Uncle for all those years. Who had always treated him like an inconvenience; an accident that shouldn't have happened. A woman who he tried to get to love him. He had drawn her pictures, made her breakfast in bed, and tried to be the best son he could. But he never won that battle. He never won her love.

Tony felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Lucky, looking sympathetic. They stared into one another eyes for a while, before Tony spoke again. "Thanks girl," he whispered to her.

"Bree," Lucky said with a nod.

"Oh, there she is!"

Tony whirled about at the sound of Josh's voice. There, driving towards them, was a limo. Inside the front he could see a familiar face. Jerry Higgins, driver to Anna Maruko for over ten years.

Tony felt his breath hitch. He quickly show away from his friends, as quickly and quietly as he could. He zoomed past his friends, Lucky following him. He zipped behind the Pokemon Center, breathing heavily.

He heard Josh greet Anna. But he didn't listen in. He didn't want to know what she was saying, or what Josh was saying to her. He felt hurt, and almost betrayed.

_No,_ he thought. _Josh doesn't know what my mo... what Anna did. It's not his fault._

He heard tires screech as the limo drove off. Then, he heard Tayuyu's voice.

"Tony?"

Tony sighed. Part of him wanted to tell them why he had hidden. But what could he say? How could he say it? What, should he just walk and say "Hi guys, glad to see you met my mother, who abandoned me when I was a child and hasn't tried to contact me in several years"?

"Tony?"

Tony turned and saw Tayuyu, who had followed him behind the Pokemon Center. "What are you doing back here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, Lucky thought she saw something," Tony said, forcing a smile. "I came back to check on what it was. Guess it was nothing."

"Oookay..." said Tayuyu. "Well, you missed Josh heading off with Mrs. Maruko. He seemed kinda dissapointed."

"Life is full of little dissapointments," Tony said, shrugging. "We'll see him around Vermillion, right?"

Tayuyu nodded. "Yeah, too bad. Well," she said, "if you're done looking at nothing, come on. It's about dinner time."

"Right!" Tony said, realizing how hungry he was. "Come on, Lucky!"

"Bree!" Lucky chirped.

They ran back to the rest of the teens and Brock. "Where've you been?" asked Kirby. "You missed saying good-bye to Josh."

"I'll live," Tony said. "Well, I'm gonna head back to the hotel for dinner!" he said, pulling his bike from his backpack and unfolding it. "Guess I'll see you all around!"

"Guess so," Tayuyu said. "Come on, Kirby, let's find Katie..."

The door to the Pokemon Center was flung open.

A very, very angry looking Nurse Joy stomped out, both Misty and Katie slung over her shoulder. "NO... FIGHTING... IN... MY... POKEMON CENTER!" she shouted, tossing both red heads on the ground.

Both girls shot up, terrified. "Yes ma'am!" they peeped in unison.

Nurse Joy glared at them like a feral animal, before returning to her happy dememour. "Don't let it happen again!" she chirped, stepping back inside.

Tony fell onto his back. "So scary..."

"This city is insane," Tayuyu muttered.

Kirby was too scared to think or say anything rational.

"Wow!" Brock said, impressed. "What a girl!"

BOINK!

"Ow! Misty!"

"Shaddap, Brock!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

**Well, that brings an end to this chapter!**

**Looks like Tony's gonna have to deal with his mother sooner or later now that he knows Josh is working for her. And it looks like Kelly almost has Sally and Pappy wrapped around her little finger too! Will this all work out, or will it end up an unpleasent and angsty series of heartbreaks?**

**Well, we'll find out eventually. In the mean time, tune in next time for Tony vs. Misty!**


	26. Tony vs Misty!

**Last time, On Tony's Journey…**

**Kelly finally met with Tony's Aunt Sally and Pappy, and managed to win them over with some clever lies and false smiles. Meanwhile, Tony meets with Tayuyu, Kirby, Josh and Katie, along with Brock and Misty (whom promptly dragged Brock away by the ear for a severe scolding). Tony was horrified to learn that Josh is working for his mother, Anna Maruko, and he hid away just before the woman picked him up to go to Vermillion. Soon, Tony will go off to fight Misty for the Cascade Badge!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

**P.S.: Due to Misty's team only having two Pokemon that are in the same evolutionary line, I've tweaked her team slightly, so she'll have some different Pokemon this time around. Sorry.**

* * *

><p>Night at the hotel was mostly quiet.<p>

The night air was cool and crisp, and the stars and moon were shining brightly in the darkness. A luke-warm breeze flowed through the air and ruffled the leaves on the trees.

Tony sat down on his bed, hands behind his head, eyes wide open. Sleep didn't come to him. He couldn't sleep. How could he?

Josh was working for Anna. How could that even be possible? How is it that that could actually happen? That was a coincidence on a cosmic level. It felt almost impossible.

Nothing he could think of could bring him out of his bad mood. Not the delicious summer salad he had had for dinner. Not the warm smiles that his Aunt Sally and Pappy had welcomed him with. Not the new Goldeen Pappy had caught, and not even the sight of Kelly who had joined them for dinner that evening before heading out again to the Pokemon Center could cheer him up. He had always hoped that this day would never come - that the thought of his mother coming back into his life was just a bad dream. But it wasn't.

Tony sighed again. His Pokemon were all asleep, curled up happily by themselves, dreaming happily. Tony wished he could sleep, but he couldn't.

"Tony?"

Tony turned to see Aunt Sally, wearing a pair of blue shorts and a white t-shirt, her usual bed attire. "Are you okay?" she asked her nephew.

Tony wanted to tell her about Anna. He wasn't sure how though. "I'm fine..." he said. "Just nervous."

"About the battle tomorrow?" his aunt asked, sitting down on the side of his bed.

"Yeah..." Tony said. "That..."

There was a quiet silence between them for a short time, interupted only by Pappy snoring on the couch.

"Aunt Sally..." Tony said, quietly. "I saw... I saw my mom today."

Aunt Sally swallowed, fear welling up inside.

"Well, I didn't _see her_ see her," Tony explained. "I saw her limo. And I saw Jerry, her driver." He sighed. "Josh... My friend, Josh Belmont, is working for her."

Sally inwardly gave a breath of relief. "So... You didn't see her yourself?"

"No," Tony said.

Sally held her nephew close in her arms. "Come here," she said, as she hugged him. "It's okay. Your mother chose not to be a part of your life - and that's her mistake. You never have to worry about her ever again. Besides," she added. "You have me and your uncle now."

"Don't forget Pappy," Tony added. "And Lucky, and Alph, and Tochu... Not to mention Kirby and Tayuyu and Nicole and Kelly and..."

"I get the idea," chuckled Sally. "Now listen to me. Anna is no longer a part of your life. You don't have to worry about her anymore."

Tony kissed his aunt on her cheeck. "Thanks Aunt Sally," he said. "Love ya."

"I love you too," Aunt Sally said, heading back her bed. "Good night."

She left her nephew on his bed, letting him fall asleep peacefully. She sighed as she sat down on her bed, and swiftly curled up underneath her covers.

Anna. Tony had seen Anna.

Sally closed her eyes. Anna could threaten her all she wanted.

If she wanted Tony back, she would have to go through Sally's dead body to get to him.

* * *

><p>VRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!<p>

A shiny blue motorcycle shot down the streets of Cerulean. The sunlight shone on its bright blue paint and silver chrome. The black tires screamed as they roared down the streets, carrying both of its riders down to the Cerulean Gym. The driver, a young woman wearing a motorcyclist's jumpsuit, pure white with an equally white helmet, save for the pitch black visor. The second was a terrified and squeemish lass with dark skin and dark blue hair, clinging to the other young lady for dear life.

Nicole tried not to scream. She failed. She never got used riding on these... screaming metal death traps. Still, she was wearing a helmet, so it was safe enough. Right?

Right...

Nicole squealed in horror as the bike shot about a turn a little faster than she would have liked it to. She felt her heart beat faster an faster as the motorcycle itself went faster and faster until...

SCREEEEEEEEEECH!

The motorcycle screeched to a halt, right in front of the Cerulean Gym, making Nicole's heart leap into her throat and straight back down again. The lass leaqped off the still humming Harley, her legs shaking.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," the driver commented, turning the eleborate bike off.

"I'll _be_ a ghost if I ever get on that... _thing_, ever again!" Nicole said, horrified. "How do I ever let you convince me to get on that monster, Marissa?"

Marissa laughed as she removed her helmet, waving her light blue locks in the air. "You know you like it!" she laughed, hopping off the bike. "Besides, its Jasper's day off!" she said. She swiftly removed her jumpsuit, revealing a miraculously pristine white, ruffled shirt and semi-short skirt underneath, impossibly unwrinkled. "I do enjoy a good motorcycle ride in the morning!" Marissa said, pulling out an umbrella from the side bag on the bike. "The crisp morning air, the smell of hot asphault..."

"The possibilty of a horrible limb mangling wreck?" added Nicole, pulling off her own helmet. "The inability to hear pretty much everything over the roar of the engine. The helmet hair?" She gestured to Marissa's messy raspberry slurpie colored hair.

"All small prices to pay!" said Marissa nonchalantly. She popped open her umbrella and held it daintily over her head, shielding her skin from the sun. "Besides, you didn't have any trouble when we went water-skiing yesterday, after lunch."

"Because with water-skiing, there's plenty of water to soften the fall!" Nicole said. "While on that monster? Con. Crete."

Marissa rolled her eyes. "Don't be a pessimist..." she said. "Either way, we're here. Cerulean Gym, my future work place!"

"Right," Nicole said, totally not buying it. "Tony told me that he'd be fighting Misty at about ten, so we'd better get some seats before it starts!"

"Yes," Marissa said. "I'm happy to be able support Tony in his time of need."

Nicole blinked. "Rissa, you've only known him for a day. Why so supportive?"

"Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, Nicole!" said Marissa. "Besides, I love an oppertunity to see a Bug Catcher battle Misty - who you know as well as I know suffers from a horrible case of insectiphobia!" She grinned maliciously and rubbed her hands together. "

Nicole sighed. Marissa would never change. But, then again, that's why they were friends. Because they knew one another, and neither of them would ever change who they were.

Nicole smiled. "Well, then," she said. "Come on. Let's get a seat."

* * *

><p>The next day arrived like a flash. Hours streaked by for Tony with his anticipation to head to the Cerulean Gym, and his team was all rested up. The time had finally arrived for his Gym Battle against Misty Water flower, and he was quite psyched. Today he would earn his second badge and then be off, heading to the Vermillion Tourney and then to the Indigo League, to face the Elite Four and take home the championship!<p>

Tony was too excited to sleep very well last night, but he was still up and running all morning. His Pokemon were too. Lucky, Alph and Tochu had been getting ready for the gym battle with Tony. They had jogged, done some pushups and pull-ups (as best they could) and practiced a few moves before finally being taken to the Pokemon Center for a physical. Tochu still had no idea what a "Gym Battle" was, but he was willing to see for himself.

Tony ran down the streets of Cerulean, his blonde hair blowing in the wind as he shot for the Gym. He quickly caught sight of the large, blue building. "There it is," he said, breathlessly to Lucky.

Lucky nodded. "Bree."

"Alright," Tony said, raising his fist. "Let's take home that badge, Lucky! Come on!"

"Butter free!" Lucky chimed, following Tony as he ran towards the doors to the Gym.

Tobias and Angelica were there at the doors when he arrived. The two teens were currently lip locked, giggling with each other quietly.

"Uh… Hey…" Tony said, awkwardly.

Both beauty and the geek jumped back, scared out of their skin. "D-don't do that!" snapped Tobias, raising his fist.

Tony grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry… Uh, Tobias, you got a little something red on your cheek…"

Tobias turned bright red, rubbing his cheeks. "What-what do you want here, anyway!" he demanded, still embarrassed.

Angelica laughed, despite the awkwardness of the situation. "He's obviously here for a Gym Battle, Tobi. We should watch and support him."

Tobias muttered something to himself, but sighed. "Well, I guess we should…"

"Come on in," said Angelica, as Tobias politely opened the door for her. "Your friends and your Mom and Grandpa are already here!"

Tony blinked, horrified, but after a second, realized Angelica's mistake. "Oh, no! She's not my Mom! She's my Aunt!" He quickly ran past the two to avoid any further questions that he really rather not answer.

Angelica and Tobias looked at each other, shrugged, and then went inside.

The actual arena in the back of the Gym was set up perfectly. The synchronized swimmers were gone, and the battlefield was set. The field was a large, rectangular pool, with a smaller rectangular platform in the middle, allowing Pokemon who couldn't swim or fly a chance to fight. Naturally, the pool sat beneath two raised platforms, made to keep the trainers safe from flying attacks.

The stands were crowded. Kirby and Tayuyu were naturally there. Aunt Sally was there with her video camera, ready to film her nephew's great battle, with Watson at her side, along with Kelly, sitting with her crutches on her lap. Pappy was there, Cap'n and Queen on his lap. Katie sat next to them, clearly ready for a big fight, whilst nursing a bruise on her her eye from yesterday's little "encounter" with Misty. (Note to the reader: Don't make Misty mad.) Angelica and Tobias quickly went to their seats, and even Nicole was there, having decided to take a break from keeping an eye on the poor Clefairy. Nurse Joy had assured her that she could handle it on her own. The oddest sight of all was Marissa. The light blue haired girl sat next to Nicole, eager to watch the match. Seeing how uptight she had been yesterday, Tony thought that she didn't like him that much. But still, the blue haired girl cheered for Tony with the others as he swiftly climbed onto his podium, ready to begin. All his friends and travelling companions, along with plenty of family, were there. The perfect audience to see you win... but the worst audience to see you lose. Tony took a deep breath as he climbed the podium. Time to get down to business.

Misty was waiting for him. The tomboyish mermaid had swapped her tankini for a white one piece swimsuit. Her short hair was tied in a pigtail, and she had a belt with three Pokeballs clipped to it.

Tony grinned as he reached the top of the podium. "You ready for this?" he asked Misty.

Misty nodded, returning his determined grin. "I am. Just don't cry when you lose! There's no way you'll get past my all out offensive Water Type strategy!"

Tony pulled out his first Pokeball, mildly disappointing Lucky that she wouldn't be the first. "We'll see about that!" he said. "Because I'm not gonna be the one who loses!"

The referee ran to his podium, raising his flag. "The Gym Battle between Tony Miller from Pallet Town and Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City will commence now! As the challenger, Tony has the first move!"

"Alright!" Tony said, gripping his Pokeball. "Alph, let's do this!"

Alph appeared on the battlefield with a "Raak!" He landed on the concrete square and stared up at Misty.

Misty took a few steps back, shivering with fear. "Oh… It's giving me goosebumps…" she shivered.

Up on the stands, Marissa cracked a grin. _Time to see Misty fall and fall hard… _she thought maliciously. She snickered as Misty struggled to pull her own Pokeball out, terrified of the spider.

"Uh, you okay, Marissa?" asked Nicole. "You're grinning like that again..."

"Oh, fine, fine, my dear!" said Marissa, putting on a fake kind smile. "Just getting ready to see an interesting match, that's all!"

Nicole raised an eyebrow at her friend, unconvinced. "Okay then..." she muttered, letting Marissa get back to her blissfully imagining Misty's defeat.

"Uh... Misty? You okay?" asked Tony, unaware of his opponent's fear of anything creepy-crawly.

Misty finally managed to pull out her own Pokeball. "Ough... It's so creepy... Alright!" she said. "I choose you, Psyduck!" she shouted, tossing her Pokeball into the air.

A yellow Psyduck appeared, hands clutching its aching head. "Psy!"

Tony flipped out his Pokedex. **"Psyduck, the Duck Pokemon. This Pokemon always seems to have a headache. The headache worsens as it takes damage, but it begins to use powerful mental attacks on its foe. However, it cannot remember using them. This specimen is a male, roughly seven years old, and knows the moves Water Gun, Tail Whip, Scratch and Confusion. It's special ability is Cloud Nine."**

"Go Tony!" Aunt Sally cheered, holding her video camera. "Show us your stuff!"

"Auntie..." muttered Tony, turning red.

"Your move, Tony!" taunted Misty.

"Okay, but you'd better be ready!" Tony shouted. "Alph, start with Night Shade!"

Alph shot foward, a black aura erupting around him as he charged at the Psyduck.

"Psyduck!" said Misty. "Use Water Gun!"

"Psy? Psy..." Psyduck fired off a powerful blast of water at Alph as he charged at the Water Type.

"Dodge it, Alph!" shouted Tony.

The spider easily leapt aside, the blast of water wizzing right by.

"Psy?" Psyduck said, confused that his attack didn't Hit.

That was all Alph needed. He struck the hapless Psyduck, unleashing the blast of Night Shade. Tony's friends cheered (Marissa was naturally the loudest) as the Psyduck toppled back with a pained quack.

"Oh no!" Misty said, surprised.

"Alright!" Tony cheered. "Follow that up with a Leech Life!"

Alph quickly sank his fangs into Psyduck. The Duck Pokemon screamed, running around in circles as he struggled to remove the String Spit Pokemon.

"Shake him off!" shouted Misty. "Use Tail Whip!"

Psyduck wagged his little tail, tickling Alph. The Spinarak burst into a fit of chittery giggles as he fell of the Psyduck, trying to stop laughing.

"Now!" Misty commanded. "Use Scratch!"

Psyduck raised his hand, before swinging his small claws at Alph.

"Alph, Night Shade again!" Tony shouted.

"Raak!" Alph shouted, unleashing a burst of Night Shade. Psyduck was sent flying back, hitting the ground again. The Duck Pokemon moaned as he stood up, clutching his very sore head. Purple waves began to emit from his skull.

"Uh oh," Tayuyu muttered from the stands. "Psyduck's headache is getting worse!"

"His power is growing!" Kirby said.

Marissa blinked. "Oh, Tony, don't you dare lose..." she muttered.

Misty laughed. "Now I've got you! Psyduck, use Confusion!"

Psyduck removed his hands from his head, aiming them at the confused Alph. With a grunt he fired off a burst of powerful mental energy. The attack hit Alph full on, sending the Spinarak flying.

"Gotcha!" said Misty.

Alph struggled to his feet as Psyduck bore down upon him again.

"Confusion again, Psyduck!" Misty called.

"Night Shade, Alph!" shouted Tony.

Alph chittered as an inky aura emerged about him, blasting away at Psyduck, sending the Water-Type flying.

"Now! Poison Sting!" Tony ordered before Misty could act.

"Raak!" Alph chitterd, unleashing volley after volley of poisonous needles.

The vicious attack struck the poor Psyduck. "Psy!" he called, hitting the ground. Within seconds, he was out cold.

"Booyah!" Tony called, raising his fist proudly.

"Psyduck is unable to battle! The winner is Tony Miller from Pallet Town!"

"WHOOOOOOO, TONY!" shouted Aunt Sally. "YEEEEEEEEEEAH!"

"Jeeez," muttered Tayuyu, sitting next to Pappy. "She always cheer like that?"

Pappy chuckled. "You should see her at the Super Bowl. I had to convince her not to paint her face for this."

"Uh... Yaaay!" said Kelly, not really enthused but trying to seem like she was excited.

"Alright, then," Misty said, rather breathlessly. "Time for round two!" She pulled out her second Pokeball, kissing it before sending the Pokemon out. "Go! Horsea!"

With a flash of light, a small blue sear horse-like Pokemon appeared, landing in the water with a splash. "Horsea!" it chimed, unleashing a small volley of bubbles cutely into the air.

"Daaaw!" cried Katie from the stand. "It's so cute!"

Tony flipped out his Pokedex again. **"Horsea, the Sea-Horse Pokemon. Horsea live in tropical oceans, around coral reefs and sunny shores. They have special pouches in their bellies that allow them to produce ink, much like Octillerly, in order to protect themselves. They can also shoot bubbles from their snouts and quickly overcome foes in a forest of bubbles. This specimen is six years old, female, and knows the moves Bubblebeam, Smokescreen, Leer and Water Pulse."**

Tony's eyes narrowed. "Alrighy then, switching time, Alph!" he called, returning the tired out Spinarak. "Lucky, you're up!

"Bree!" cheered Lucky, delighted to finally get some action.

"Smoke-screen, Horsea!" Misty shouted.

"Sea!" Horsea glubbed, releasing plumes of inky black smoke into the air, hiding the Sea-Horse Pokemon inside the black cloud.

"Ree?" Lucky said, confused. She flitted left and right, trying to see her water-bound foe.

"Silver Wind, Lucky!" shouted Tony. "Blow the smoke away!"

"Buree!" agreed Lucky, flapping her wings and whipping up a silvery gust that blew the smoke away... allowing her to see a flurry of bubbles shooting right towards her.

"Ree!" cried Lucky, as the bubbles struck her, quickly coating her body.

"Uh-oh!" Katie said from the stands, surprised. "Bubbles!"

"Uh... Bubbles?" asked Tayuyu. "Seriously?"

"Bubbles!" Katie shouted, waving her arms in the air. "BUBBLES, MAN!"

"Bubblebeam again, Horsea!" ordered Misty. The Smoke-screen/Bubblebeam combo was one of her favorite attack methods.

"Horsea~!" peeped Horsea, unleashing another flurry of bubbles at her foe.

Lucky struggled and shirped unhappily as more bubbles covered her, soaking her wings and immobilizing her. She flailed uselessly inside the bubbly prison. Everytime she popped a bubble, another seemed to replace it. To make matters worse, her inability to fly was causing her to slowly sink down to the pool waters below, down into Horsea's domain.

"Lucky!" Tony shouted. "Break out! Use Aerial Ace!"

"Bree!" Lucky chirped, spinning about as she began to generate enough force to began shake off or pop all of the bubbles.

"Alright!" Tony cheered. "You're out! Now, let's try a-!"

"Water Pulse!" shouted Misty before Tony could react.

Horsea unleashed a powerful blast of blue rings. They splashed against poor Lucky, sending the Butterfree into the water with a loud KER-SPLOOSH!

"Lucky!" Tony shouted, terrified. The poor Butterfree struggled uselessly in the water, unable to fly and just barely able to keep above the water.

"Water Pulse!" shouted Misty again, bringing Tony out of his paralysis too late.

KER-SPLOOSH!

"Bree!" Lucky whined, unhappily as the water soaked her again.

"And another one!" Misty cried.

Horsea unleashed another burst of Water Pulse, relentlessly hammering the poor Butterfree again.

"One more time!" Misty shouted.

"Hor-SEAAAA! Horsea cried, unleashing one last Water Pulse, straight for Lucky.

"Lucky! Return!"

A red light enveloped the soaked Butterfree, sending the unhappy Bug-Type back to her Pokeball, miserable that she didn't get to knock out her foe.

Misty was almost breathless. The red head was practically bouncing about her platform, filled with the energy from the battle. "Don't tell me that you're already burned out!" she called. "I'm just gettin' started!"

Tony's cheer squad had become deathly quiet. While Tony had done well in the first round, he was quickly getting stomped in the second. Even Kelly was feeling invested. While Tony hadn't lost any Pokemon, his first two were battered and beaten.

"Alrighty then," Tony said, breathlessly. "Trump card time. "Tochu, your turn!"

With a bright flash, the Paras emerged with a confused "Paras?"

"Get ready, Tochu!" Tony shouted. "We're in a Gym Battle!"

Tochu squeaked in fear. He was in a Gym Battle _now?_ He wasn't prepared enough for... whatever it was a Gym Battle was.

"Water Pulse, Horsea!"

Tochu nearly shed his skin in fear. The strange little Water Pokemon unleashed another powerful ring of water, shooting it right for Tochu.

"P-paras!" squeaked Tochu, covering her eyes.

The water splashed all over him... and had no effect whatsoever.

"Huh? What the-?" Misty said, surprised.

Tochu looked around, surprised. In all honesty, he felt pretty good. A little stronger even.

"Horsea! Try a Bubblebeam!" Misty said, desperately.

Horsea attacked, unleashing a cloud of bubbles onto her foe. Again Horsea attacked, again the attack struck, and again Tochu sat there, feeling quite comfortable in the wake of the Water-Type attack.

"Darn it!" Misty shouted. "What's goin' on? !"

"Dry Skin!" Tony said, plainly.

"Dry Skin?" asked Misty.

"Dry Skin!" Tony exclaimed. "Tochu, Slash attack!"

Tochu gave the Horsea a hard swipe with his claw, sending the Water-Type flying back into the deeper end of the pool. The Water Type rose to the surface, badly hurt by a critical hit.

"Try Smokescreen!" Misty shouted, now worried. Her 'All-Out Water-Type' offensive was begining to fall short.

"Stop her with a Spore attack!" Tony shouted, eaving his fist. He could still pull this off.

Tochu and Horsea moved at the same time, shooting towards one another like lightning bolts. Greenish spores mixed with a black cloud of smoke, creating a strange, almost magical looking fog that swiftly surrounded both combatants. It looked like something out of a fantasy novel, whrirling through the air, smoke and spores fading into nothingness.

Both the trainers and the crowd were silent. They wondered who would still be standing in the aftermath of the attack. Finally, the smoke and spores faded and cleared away.

Horsea was lying on her back in the water, snoring soundly whilst making a "Too!" sound as she snored in her sleep.

Tochu appeared in the smoke as well. The Paras blinked, surprised, before he gave a sneeze. "Ah-chu!"

"Bless you!" Tony and Misty said at the same time.

Tochu slowly crawled back towards the edge of the pool. Horsea was floating in the water, fast asleep - and she had floated within his range.

"Now! Slash again!" Tony called, excited.

"Para sara!" Tochu said, trying to sound confident. He gave the Horsea a powerful swipe with his sharp claws.

The attack sent the poor Horsea flying waking her up just in time to give a horrified peep of "Sea!" before she hit the water with a KER-SPLOOSH! much like Lucky had mere moments ago. After a few seconds of waiting, an unconcious Horsea floated on her back to the surface.

"Horsea in unable to battle!" the ref shouted. "The winner is Tony of Pallet Town!"

"Great job, Tochu!" Tony called. He was feeling a bit less confident, but he saw how much energy the normally cowardly Tochu was putting into the battle, and was hoping that they could still pull it off.

Misty grinned at her opponent. "Not bad," she said. "But I do have a question for ya. What is Dry Skin?"

"Dry Skin is a Pokemon Ability that allows Paras to absorb Water-Type moves through his skin and his mushrooms, restoring his strength instead of damaging him," Tony said, honestly. He was feeling pretty pumped up. When he had caught the Paras, and learned of its ability, he knew that it would be a good choice for his team. Misty used an All-Out Water-Type Offensive strategy, after all. So, what would happen if she couldn't use that Strategy? What would happen if her attacks became beneficial for him?

Well, he just found out what would happen. Victory. Sort of. He wasn't holding his badge just yet...

"So, to beat you I just need to not use Water attacks..." Misty said, thoughtfully. "There goes my strategy..." She closed her eyes in deep thought for a moment, before grinning with a new idea. "Well then, looks like its time for you to meet my powerhouse Pokemon!" She pulled out her last Pokemon and opened it. "Goooooo, Starmie!"

With a scarlet flash, a beautiful Pokemon appeared. It's body was a lovely hue of violent, and star shaped with a multitude of amythyst colored arms surrounding its core, a bright red ruby like stone, glowing as it landed on the platform, mere feet away from Tochu. The Paras backed up nervously. He had never seen such a creature before.

Tony pulled out his Pokedex. **"Starmie," **it said, **"the Mysterious Pokemon. These Pokemon are the evolved form of Staryu, and are exceedingly rare in the wild, only evolving when exposed to a Water Stone. Unlike their predecessor, Staryu, Starmie is both Water and Psychic Type. If any of their limbs are seperated from their body, the limb will become a new Staryu. Staryu have no gender. This specimen is roughly ten years old, and knows the moves Swift, Harden, Water Pulse, and Rapid Spin."**

Tony swallowed. Rapid Spin and Swift. Both Normal Type moves. Neither very strong, but both a threat to Tochu nonetheless. He couldn't absorb those. Looks like Misty was changing tactics.

"Alright!" the Bug Catcher shouted. "Start with Spore attack!"

Tochu raised his claws and unleashed a cloud of Spores into the air, heading straight for Starmie.

"Rapid Spin!" Misty shouted to Starmie. "Blow them away!"

"Star..." Starmie chimed, its bright ruby gem glowing with a mysterious light. It span rapidly around like a ninja star, becoming a violet and scarlet blurr as it blew the Spores back at Tochu like a fan.

"Tochu! Jump back!" Tony called.

Tochu squeaked as he was forced back by the cloud of sleep inducing spores, slowly crawling back from the greenis cloud until he stood at the very edge of the pool, between the cloud of spores and a unwanted cold bath. Dry Skin or not, the Paras species were not swimmers. They were barely even floaters.

Thankfully, the cloud began to fade away, much to both Tochu and Tony's relief... until they caught sight of a glowing red gem in the fading spore cloud.

"Now, Starmie! Swift!"

A bright ruby flash shined through the remainder of the cloud. swiftly followed by a storm of bright star shaped projectiles, shooting right for Tochu. The attack slammed right into the Paras, sending him right over the edge into the water of the pool.

"P-para!" Tochu squealed, horrified. He grasped onto the side with his pincers, struggling to hold onto the very edge of the pool. The Bug/Grass-Type looked up, as Starmie approached, its bright red gem gleaming as it prepared to strike again with Swift.

"Tochu!" Tony called. "Get on the wall!"

"Paras?" Tochu asked, confused.

"The wall! Get on the wall!" Tony shouted, pointing to the walls that made up the pool.

Tochu didn't have time to react to Tony's words. With a brilliant flash, Starmie blasted the poor Paras in the face, sending him into the water with a splash.

"P-par! *Glub* Par!" Tochu tried to say, his words distorted by the water. He waved his claws around uselessly in the water, struggling to get a grip on something - anything to save him from drowning.

"Tochu!" Tony said, pulling out his Pokeball. "Return! Good job!"

The red light flashed and Tocu returned to his Pokemon, waterlogged and soaked, but alive.

Tony reached for another of his Pokemon. League rules stated that you could not send out the same Pokemon that you just withdrew simply to get it out of a bad situation, meaning he couldn't use Tochu until he sent out another Pokemon. Meaning he had to choose between Alph and Lucky.

Finally, Tony pulled out another Pokeball. "Lucky, go!" he shouted.

The Butterfree emerged again, triumphantly flying through the air, despite her soaked purple fur.

"Alright, girl!" Tony called. "Let's try this again! Silver Wind!" he shouted, pointing at Starmie.

"Ree!" Lucky chirped, unleashing powerful gusts at her foe, striking the Starmie and launching it to the ground.

"Starmie! Water Pulse!" shouted Misty.

Starmie chimed and glowed as it unleashed another ring of water, heading straight for Lucky.

"Lucky! Dodge it and then use Silver Wind again!" Tony shouted.

"Ree!" Lucky chirped as she shot to the side, the watery ring missing her. With a powerful flap of her wings, she unleashed another whirlwind at her foe, striking the Starmie fiercely.

"GO! GO! GO!" Sally cheered from the stands as Lucky pummeled the Starmie again.

"I think he might have this one in the bag!" said Kirby.

"He'd better. We have to get moving to Vermillion by tomorrow!" Tayuyu said.

"GO! GO! GO!" shouted Marissa with Sally, happy to see her rival in trouble.

"Use Water Pulse!" Misty shouted again, getting desperate. Time to break out her old strategy.

"Dodge it!" Tony shouted. "Try an Aeriel Ace!"

"Ree!" Lucky chirped, shooting for Starmie like a bullet.

"Harden, Starmie!" Misty shouted.

"Mie!" Starmie chimed as it solidified its body. Lucky bounced off the Water-Type uselessly against the defense.

"Now!" Misty shouted. "While there's an opening! Swift!"

"Silver Wind, Lucky!" Tony shouted.

Lucky's wings became a blur of white just as Starmie unleashed a volley of star rays.

With a "Bree!" and a "Mie!" both Lucky and Starmie crashed to the ground, both badly hurt. They both slowly managed to stand up, shaking as they struggled to fight on.

"Lucky!" Tony called. "Are you okay?"

"Ree..." Lucky peeped, her wings begining to flap, carrying her mere inches above the ground.

"Good!" Tony called. "Now, Aeriel Ace again!"

"R...ree!" Lucky said, shooting foward, straight for Starmie.

"Starmie! Use-!" Misty began. But it was too late. Lucky slammed into the Water-Type, knocking the battered creature to the ground, its red gem glowing faintly before it finally passed out, the damage taking its toll at last.

"Starmie is unable to battle!" the referee said. "Misty Waterflower is out of usable Pokemon! The winner is Tony Miller of Pallet Town!" He waved his Gym Battle flag. "I hereby declare this Gym Battle over!"

Aunt Sally and Marissa cheered so loud that you could swear that they had loudspeakers with them. The others cheered as well but their cheers were drowned out by the other two.

Lucky flitted over to Tony weakly, who hugged the Butterfree gently. "Great going, girl," he said, pulling out the Pokeball that Lucky stayed in. "Get some rest."

The battle was won. The armies of the Bug Pokemon had triumphed over the forces of the Water Pokemon. The Cascade Badge was his.

Tony shook Misty's hand. The Tomboyish Mermaid was a good sport, evidently. "Good game," the red-head said, kindly. "I thought I had you for a second there!"

"And I thought you did have me, too!" Tony said. "Thank goodness I pulled it off."

"Well," Misty said, as the referee walked foward. "Here's what you came for." The ref handed Misty a small blue badge, who in turn gave it to Tony. "I hereby confer upon you the Cascade Badge! Your name will be added to the registered trainers list, and you now have proof that you ave beaten me!"

Tonny held the small blue badge in his hands. It was shaped like rushing waves. "Thanks a ton!" he said, shaking her hand again.

"Don't worry," Misty said. "You've earned it. Good luck in the next gym! Surge can be a real monster on the battlefield."

"Noted," Tony said. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his fans coming to meet him, Pappy and Aunt Sally at front. "Oh, here comes my friends... Gotta go now, Misty! Thanks for the battle!"

"Sure thing!" Misty laughed. "Come back to visit any time, alright! Cerulean always needs more trainers like you!"

Tony grinned and gave a salute. "Yes ma'am!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Well, there goes another chapter. In all honesty, over six-thousand words seems a bit wordy. I probably should have made it shorter.**

**Oh well.**

**Anyways, hope you liked this chapter. Next time, the gang's getting ready to leave Cerulean and head off to Vermillion. I hope you liked our time in Cerulean. I really was trying hard when writing Misty. I really hated the anime's version of the character, so I was trying to capture more of the manga Misty: she's tough, but fair, and doesn't hold back in battle, but she really is a nice girl. (Unlike that rude, snooty brat of a girl from the... oh forget it...) I'm a little sad that she's out of the story right now, but don't worry. She'll make a come back! Besides, next chapter we get two new OCs from two long time reviewers who have been waiting ages to see their characters come to life as I see them!**

**Speaking of next chapter, I've run into a bit of a hitch at home. There are some minor technical difficulties that are long and boring to discuss, so I'll just cut to the chase. It might take me a wee little while to get the next chapter up, and it will probably be shorter. But don't you worry! My mother goes to the library every tuesday, because she's signed my siblings up for the summer reading program, so I'll have access to their computers. Also, I still have no job, so that won't get in the way.**

**Sniffle...**

**Anyways, tune in next time for Off to Vermillion City!**

**And buy Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. Support Optimus Prime and Grimlock!**


	27. Many Partings

**Last time, on Tony's Journey... **

**Tony beat Misty in a battle to the finish, winning himself the Cascade Badge! Now, along with Tayuyu, Kirby, Kelly and Katie, are headed off to Vermillion City, south of Cerulean City, so Tony can take on the third Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, and get himself signed up for the St. Anne Tournament!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

**And today's special thanks goes to... Dracarot and Bloodwolf432 for their awesome OCs! Thanks a ton!**

* * *

><p>The early evening air was cool and crisp. Laughter filled the air, muffled by the doors of the hotel. The party was in full swing. Two adults, six Pokemon, and seven teens sat inside, eating lasagna and talking about Tony's Gym Battle, and his victory over Misty.<p>

Tony was happily chatting and eating with Nicole and Marissa. Tayuyu was talking with Kirby and Katie, both of whom were barely able to speak as they stuffed themselves with delicous lasagna. Everyone was happy.

Everyone but Kelly.

The Rocket Spy was feeling very, very unhappy in her current situation. She wasn't used to crowds. Especially happy ones. The room was loud, filled with laughter and happy conversations. Everyone was eating the delicious lasagna, and the Pokemon were eating their own food. As per usual, Tony had bought Lucky, Alph and Tochu Pokemon food made exclusively for their own species. Cap'n and Queen were in their bowls, eating a heary meal of fish food, while Wattson had a small plate covered in his favorite food: AA Batteries. All of the other Pokemon were back at the Pokemon Center.

Still, Kelly was feeling crowded and worn out. She had come over to the hotel that day, to meet Tony. She discovered only Sally, preparing to make some lasagna. Tony was out for some last minute training, and Pappy was out fishing again. Sally asked Kelly if she would like to help make some lasagna. Kelly, in a moment of absolute insanity, said yes.

Kelly could not cook. Her culinary skills ended with microwave dinners. For some reason that she herself couldn't understand, she had lied to Sally and told her that she "cooked all the time." Sally, naturally, was delighted to have her help. Sadly, all Kelly did was make mistakes. She stirred up the alfredo too quickly and got some splattered on the counter. She had cut her index finger trying to open a can of tomato sauce, and she burned her other index finger while trying to use the stove. But that wasn't the strangest part. The strangest part was, that no matter what she did, no matter how badly she had screwed up, Sally never once yelled at her. She always showed her how to do it correctly, and gave her a smile and/or a bandage for her injury. Kelly didn't get it. If Sally had been a Rocket Commander or something like that, Kelly would have been reported and sent back to basic training or something like that.

Kelly shook her head. Sally was... odd. That was it. She was just so... friendly. Overly friendly. Kind. Caring. Selfless. Generous.

_And hopelessly stupid..._ thought Kelly. _It must run in the family. _She looked over at Tony, who was talking with Marissa and Nicole about his Gym Battle. Marissa seemed oddly interested in Tony's strategy. Kelly rolled her eyes. _Strategy. Ha! A child could use that strategy!_

Still, Kelly sat there, her job first priority in her mind. In time, Tony would see things the Rocket way. If he knew what was good for him, he would.

"Kelly!"

Kelly nearly jumped out of her seat. That red headed girl, Tayuyu, was staring at her, a little coldly. The girl hadn't been thrilled when Tony had told her that Kelly was coming with them on their journey. Kelly knew that the Rocket Commander wanted this one to join them as well, so she'd have to put on the same friendly act she did with Tony. "Yes?" she asked, faking a kind, friendly voice.

"You sure you wanna come?" Tayuyu asked. "I mean, it's gonna be tricky. Especially given your condition."

"Don't worry about me," said Kelly. "I can handle myself."

Tayuyu didn't look convinced. "Okay then..." she said. "Just don't come crying to me if you get hurt..."

Kelly felt her face flush. She struggled not to begin yelling at the girl, like she would with a Rocket Grunt. Their conversation had gone on unnoticed by the others, who were still eating their lasagna happily, talking about Pokemon, how good the food was, and the like. Kelly looked down at her own plate. She hadn't touched her lasagna.

Kelly felt very, very crowded. The party felt far too peppy for her tastes. "I need some air," she said, quietly standing up.

Tayuyu shrugged. "M'kay," she muttered, turning her attention back to Kirby, and asking him about training Flying-Types.

Kelly grabbed her crutches and slowly made her way away from the table out to the deck, sliding open the door with a little bit of difficulty before shutting it behind her, leaving her all alone on the balcony. Just her and her thoughts.

She sat down on one of the chairs, leaning her crutches on the rail-guard and folding her arms up on the table. She sighed, feeling very unhappy.

She hated this job. These people... They made her feel... Strange. Well, Tayuyu made her feel just plain upset, but everyone else? She couldn't put her finger on what she felt. In made her feel confused. Tony, despite the fact that he wouldn't last a day as a Rocket, was oddly optimistic, and while he seemed like just some reckless, brainless idiot without a single hope to be champion, or write his Bug Pokemon Ultimate Guide (or whatever it was...) he genuinely had strategy and talent as a trainer. He made good desicions on the battlefield, and he had managed to defeat Team Rocket twice! And yet, he seemed so... pathetic and immature. How is it that he could win two Gym Badges, let alone any badges at all? And yet somehow, he always did it. Always managed to pull himself through.

The others made her feel odd as well. Kirby was always so calm and quiet, but everytime he opened his mouth he had something useful to say. Tayuyu, despite her elitist attitudes, was a trainer with some talent to be had. Otherwise the boss wouldn't waste his time with her. Katie was spontanious and odd, but she wasn't stupid or incompitant. Kelly had heard that she had managed to hold her own against her own parents, Ivan and Celia. Nicole, despite being a rookie, had Pokemon that had serious skills, skills that were almost even with Tayuyu, who was an experienced trainer with seven badges already. Marissa, despite looking like the stereotypical rich idiot, was actually intelligent and while she did like to flaunt her wealth, she did share it with her friends. Tony's Aunt Sally was... something Kelly could have sworn she had seen before. Long ago, when she was in her crib as a silver haired baby. Someone had treated her lovingly... Someone like Sally...

Kelly was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the door open up, and she didn't hear someone step out and shut the door behind them.

"Ahoy, milady!"

Kelly nearly jumped out of her seat. Thankfully, she didn't, with her bad leg and all. She turned to face the intruder.

Tony's grandpa... er, his grand-uncle. Pappy, he was called, and nothing else. The old man was holding a small plate in his hand: Kelly's untouched lasagna. "Hey there," he said. "Yeh haven't touched yer food. Yeh worked hard to help make it, so why not take a taste of the fruits of yer labor?" He set the plate down in front of her, along with a plastic fork.

"Thanks..." Kelly said, quietly. She looked down at her burnt and cut fingers, and then at her food. It had darn better taste great after all she had suffered.

"Feeling a little partied out?" asked Pappy, taking a seat.

"Yeah," Kelly said, picking up the fork as best she could. "I'm not a crowd person."

"I understand," Pappy said. "Neither was Elaine."

Kelly paused. "Eleaine?" she asked. "Who is Elaine?"

"My wife," Pappy answered, staring off into the distance, his eyes focused on Cerulean City at nightfall. The lights of the city were bright and shining in the night. "She hated crowds."

"I see..." Kelly said, a little awkwardly. What would you do if some old codger came along and just started talking about his wife to you out of nowhere?

"Ah, but enough about the past!" Pappy said. "Let's talk about the here and the now!"

"Um, no thanks... I mean, you don't have to..." Kelly stuttered, trying to avoid a long, rambling conversation.

"Of course I do!" Pappy said. "Besides, I can't have yeh feeling down, yeh know. Yeh are a guest here, after all."

Kelly tried to hide her scowl.

"Besides," said Pappy, leaning back in his own chair and putting his feet up on the rails. "I never get tired of this view," he said, looking at the city's bright lights from a distance. "Cerulean's m' home, yeh know."

"Uh... No, I didn't..." Kelly said.

"I was raised here as a pup," Pappy continued, ignoring her. "My father was a man of the sea. My mother was a woman with a frying pan. I was a boy, a boy with nothing but a simple Magikarp by his side." His eyes became misty and far away. "Those were the days before Pokeballs, Kelly-girl. You had to carry your Pokemon everywhere, or give 'em a leash. Heck, that was back in the days before Pokemon Centers were free! Did yeh know that the tradition of the loser giving the winner some pocket change came from those days?" he asked.

"Uh... No," Kelly said.

"Well, it is," Pappy said. "The loser would give the winner some pocket change to help pay for the Pokemon Center. Heck, I was in my twenties by the time that it became free, and by that time I was in the Kanto Navy, sailing around the oceans." He smiled. "Ah, the ocean. The sea. Y'know, I met my wife..."

"Pappy!" a voice said. "Are you boring Kelly with your story?"

Sally Miller stepped out onto the deck, smiling apologetically.

"I wasn't boring her!" Pappy protested.

Before Kelly could confirm that he certainly was, Sally spoke again. "Why don't you go and tell the kids about the time you caught that twenty five pound Magikarp?" she asked.

Pappy grinned. "Ooh," he said, jumping out of his chair. "That one is one of my favorites!" He rushed past Sally inside, and shut the door behind him.

Kelly gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said, quietly. She really had no intention of listening to an old man ramble on for hours on end.

"Don't mention it," Sally said, taking the seat beside Kelly. "Sorry about Pappy. He can get a little bit carried away at times, but he really is a sweet-heart."

"Hmm..." Kelly murmered. He looked like just a crazy old man to her...

"So, enjoying the party?" asked Sally.

"Not really," Kelly said. "I'm no good with crowds."

"I wouldn't call nine people a crowd," laughed Sally. "But I guess its just different strokes for different folks."

Kelly nodded. "It's just... Well, I'm an only child," she said. Not a lie, this time, completely true. "I've been with many other kids like that..."

"Hmm..." Sally murmered. "I can understand. I'm not an only child, but I never spent much time with my... sister. I was usually all by myself on my own journey. My only companions were my Pokemon. And then, I met Brad."

"Your husband?" Kelly asked.

"Mm-hmm," Sally said. "He's my husband, and Tony's Uncle."

Kelly, oddly enough, felt the need to ask her, "So... Was it love at first sight?"

Sally laughed. "Are you kidding? I pushed him off a boat."

Kelly blinked. "Wha-?"

"We met on the St. Anne," Sally said. "I pushed him off it."

"By... accident?" Kelly asked.

"No," Sally said, shaking her head. "It was intentional."

"...Was he being... Rude?" Kelly questioned, wondering what had happened.

"No." Sally sighed. "I was... I was a really, really badly behaved girl..." she said, shamefully.

"..._You_?" asked Kelly, surprised. She could not believe it. Sally looked like the kindest woman in the world. How on earth could see ever do... _that?_

Sally laughed. "Oh, it's a long boring story. You wouldn't be interested."

"No, no, I'm interested," Kelly said.

Sally flushed. "Well..." she began. However, she was cut off by looking at her own watch. "Oh, dear!" she said. "It's getting late! I'd better get ready for bed! We have to get an early start in the morning! I have work tomorrow morning!" She stood up. "Sorry," she said. "Tell you what. I'll tell you the whole story when we see each other again!"

"Oh," Kelly said, feeling oddly dissapointed.

Sally gave the girl a pat on the head. "Well, it was very nice to talk to you, Kelly! I hope to see you again!" she said, opening the sliding door and stepping inside.

Kelly was left alone on the balcony, just her and her lasagna.

She heard her stomach grumble, reminding her that she hadn't touched her food.

Slowly, she grabbed her fork and took a bite of the pasta.

Her eyes widened. It was... amazing! Had she really helped make this? As stated before, Kelly's expertise in cooking ended with microwave dinners. Back home, her parents were often too busy with the labs to make their own food, so she was often elected to be the family cook. Not that her mother was a skilled chef in the first place, nor her father.

Kelly swiftly finished off her plate as quickly as possible. She had honestly never tasted anything this good in her life.

Soon, her plate was empty, but her stomach wasn't full. Her only choice was to go inside and get more, and possibly get sucked into a conversation with the others...

Was interacting with the others worth lasagna?

Kelly sighed as she hobbled up, grabbing her plate and hopping inside.

She would walk over broken glass barefoot for that lasagna.

The door opened up, and Kelly walked inside, laughter and conversation echoing outside until she shut the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Dawn came upon the grassy Route 11, the path that seperated Cerulean from Vermillion.<p>

The sun peeked over the horizon, bathing the land with an orange light. Tall grass began to cast shadows onto the earth. Pokemon began to wake up or fall asleep, either eager for a new day or ready for a peaceful nap. Most human beings were inside their homes or inside a Pokemon Center, fast asleep in their warm beds.

However, two human beings were walking down path to Vermillion, both silent, both unaware of the other's presence.

One was a young man, no older than fifteen. He had tanned skin, and black hair. He was wearing, oddly enough, a karate gi, complete with black belt and head band. He had a badly worn, narrow bag slung over his shoulder.

The second figure was a full grown man, twenty four years of age. He had sleek dark brown hair and steely gray eyes. He wore a pair of loose brown pants and a dark shirt. His hands were clad in fingerless gloves, and a round brimmed hat shaded his eyes. Like the younger man, he too held a long narrow bag, badly worn from use on many long journies, over many different lands.

The two men walked down the path, not twenty feet away from each other. Their feet fell onto the ground silently as they trudged along through the grass.

Finally, without even looking at one another, they both stopped, aware of the other.

"Kevin..."

"Heh... Ty... Been a while."

"It has..."

"How long's it been? Two years?"

"One year."

"Ah. How you doin'?"

"Fine."

"Beat Sabrina yet?"

"..."

"Heh, thought so."

"...Whatever... How are your friends?"

"They're fine... We're going to the Vermillion Tournament."

"You are? I thought you weren't a big fan of Pokemon fights?"

"I'm not... But they heard about it, and they wanted to test their skills..."

"I see... So, have you trained your team?"

"...Perhaps..."

"Hmm... Well..." The younger figured pulled a Pokeball out from the worn leather bag. "What do you say..." he began.

The older figure pulled a Pokeball of his own out.

"How strong your Pokemon has become," the other figure continued. He turned around to face the man, and they bowed to one another. "And let's see," he added, striking a fighting pose, "how strong you have become?"

The older man smirked, as he raised his own fist with his Pokeball inside his massive hand, his finger just above the opening mechanism. "So, the pup tries to face the alpha, huh? Challenge accepted!"

The two men charged at one another.

"Go, Leatherneck!"

"Cerberus! Destroy him!"

* * *

><p>"Aunt Saaaaaaaaaaally!" whined Tony as his Aunt peppered his face with kisses, in front of everybody. "If you don't get home soon, you're gonna be late!"<p>

Sally sighed. "Oh, Tony," she said, sadly. "It's always so hard letting you go..."

"Sally," Pappy called from the car. "Time's a wastin'."

Sally sniffled. "I know..." She gave Tony one final kiss. "Alright, sweetie," she said. "Give me a call the moment you reach Vermillion, and make sure to tape your Gym Battle!"

"I know," Tony said.

"And stay safe on the way!" Sally added.

"I know..." Tony said.

"And make sure to eat your lunch when you get hungry!"

"Yes, Auntie..."

"And make sure..."

"Aunt Sally..."

Sally giggled. "Sorry, sorry..." she said. She kissed him on the forehead. "Be safe. I'll meet you in Vermillion after the preliminaries to meet your Uncle at the pier!"

"Right!" Tony said, kissing her back. "Love ya, Aunt Sally! Seeya!"

Sally climbed into the car. The car drove off, Sally waving goodbye whilst wiping a tear from her eye.

"Jeez," Tayuyu remarked, standing by the side of the road. "Could that goodbye be dragged on for any longer?"

"Oh, don't be so impatient," remarked Kirby, adjusting his backpack.

"Yeah!" Katie agreed. "You're such a sour flower, Yuyu!"

"Don't call me Yuyu... Sour flower?"

"So," Kelly said, hobbling up. "We going?"

"As soon as we say goodbye to Tobias and Angelica!" Tony said.

"Who?" asked Tayuyu.

"Us!" said a voice.

Tobias and Angelica ran up to the younger teens, much to the surprise of Katie. Angelica was wearing an odd outfit. It was a dark blue shirt with a blue beret-like hat that had a Poliwhirl like swirl on the top. She had a skirt with Goldeen and Magikarp pattern on it.

"Wow..." Tony said, surprised. "Nice outfit."

"Thank you!" said Angelica, curtsying. "It's an old dress, but your Gym Battle and your Grandfather inspired me!"

"I can see that," Tony said with a nod. "So, heading off to Vermillion too?"

"Yup!" Tobias said, with a nod. "The people behind the St. Anne are genuis enough to realize a fantastic model like Angel-Face would be great for the tournament's publicity! I, too, intend to join up and test my own skills."

"Suh-weet!" Katie cheered. "I get to fight a model! And a nerd!"

"Smarter than average teen, please..." Tobias sighed.

"Well then," Kelly said. "I guess the next time we meet we'll be opponents."

"Looks that way!" Tobias said with a grin. "Don't hold back just because you like me!" he warned.

"Trust me," Kelly said, "that won't be a problem."

HONK! HONK!

A sleek white limo drove up to the side of the road. "Ooh, there's out ride!" said Tobias, running over and politely opening the door for his lady friend.

"Well, it was nice to meet you all!" Angelica said with a bow. "I hope we all get past the preliminaries!"

"Me too!" Tony said, though he wasn't entirely sure about what the preliminaries were.

"Seeya!" called Tobias as Angelica stepped into the car. "Hope we all can make it to the tournament!"

"Bye!" the other teens called as the limo drove off towards Route 11.

"Well," Tony said, adjusting his backpack. "Shall we get a move on?"

Tayuyu nodded, taking the lead. "Thought you'd never ask."

* * *

><p>Tony and co. walked down the road that led to Route 11, saying goodbye to Cerulean as they went. They passed the Cerulean Pokemon Center, the Gym, which reeked with chlorine even from outside, and the Pokemart. Just as they approached the exit of the City, they heard the roar of an engine.<p>

VRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOM!

And, also, a faint "Waaaaaaaaaaaah!"

A sleek blue motorcycle jetted up to the teens, breaking right next to them. The passenger on the back leaped off to the ground, gasping for breath. "NEVER... AGAIN!" she snapped as her friend turned off the bike.

Marissa laughed. "Hey, don't blame me!" she said, taking her helmet off. "We flipped for it!"

Nicole grumbled as she took off her own helm. "Grr..."

"Nice bike," remarked Kelly. She meant it. It was very sleek. It was likely worth quite a lot, said her thief's instinct.

"Yeah, Harley Road King," Kelly remarked. "Nice chrome." Then, noticing the awkward glances from the others, added, "My dad gets a lot of motorcycle mags! So what?"

"Anyways..." Nicole said, trying to get back to the subject at hand. "You were trying to leave without saying goodbye to me, weren't you? !" She glared pointedly at Tayuyu.

"No!" Tayuyu said, not without sarcasm. "We'd never do that!"

"Wow," Marissa said from her bike. "Subtle."

"You aren't planning on coming along, are you?" Tayuyu said.

"Well... No," Nicole said. "Actually, I want to train up Luna some more. She's been through a lot, and she needs some more training. I'll show up in Vermillion - and I'll beat the prelims too!" She gave a hard look to Tayuyu. "Don't count me out yet!"

"Ooh, meow!" said Katie.

Tayuyu snorted. "Fine. See you there."

"Fine," Nicole said.

Marissa laughed. "Well, guess we'll all just meet up there! Sounds like it'll be fun! Nicole and I will ride-!"

"No!" Nicole snapped.

"...In my limo," continued Marissa, "and enter into the tournament! I hope we all have a good game!"

"So do I," agreed Kirby. "I'll have to do some training on the way there. I want to be fit for the tournament."

"Me too," Tony said, pulling out his badge case and flipping it open. Both the Boulder Badge and the Cascade Badge glimmered in the sunlight. "And I want to be able to handle Lt. Surge," he added, feeling a bit nervous about the former lieutenet. He had had a mild type advantage against Misty, but he would have no such thing against Surge, unless their was a Nincada that had gotten lost from Hoenn nearby.

Hey, he could dream, couldn't he?

"Well, we'd better get going!" Tony said, eager to get a move on. "It was really awesome to meet you Nicole! You too, Marissa!"

"Charmed, I'm sure," Marissa said.

"Nice to meet you too!" said Nicole. She meant it, the other teens were all pretty nice, except for Tayuyu, whom she still held a bit of a grudge for. "I hope we get to battle sometime! You look like you'd be a good opponent!"

"You too!" Tony told Nicole.

Tayuyu hid her snort. Just barely.

And so, with many goodbyes and good lucks, Tony and his friends departed from Cerulean and travelled to Route 11, not knowing about what adventures lay beyond the horizon...

Or about the two karate fighting maniacs that had begun their epic duel of massive proportions down the route.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Well, our merry band of adventurers is off again! Heading off to new challenges and new adventures. What will happen to our friends on their way to Vermillion? And who are these black belt brutes, fighting on Route 11?**

**Only time will tell.**

**Anyways, commercial time! First off, go to youtube and look up the new Disney/Pixar Movie Wreck-It Ralph! It's a video game movie and... sit back down, it looks good! And it has real video game characters in it! It has M. Bison from Street Fighter! Dr. Eggman from Sonic! That... blue vampirish chick from... whatever the heck she's from... Oh, and even Bowser from Mario Brothers! And it actually looks to be decent! If you think so, I'd give the movie a try. Personally, I'm still waiting for the Hobbit movie this December to come out, so I'm saving my movie theater time. But you might like it, so I'd check it out!**

**Secondly, a long time reviewer of the story you're viewing with your own two eyes is making a Digimon fanfic! And it's accepting OCs! Here's to you, Twilight the Moon Spirit! Good luck with your story! If anyone here is a Digimon fan, support this story and his by checking out when he publishes it!**

**Well, that's all for now! Seeya next time, Pokemaniacs!**


	28. Kung Foolery

**Last time, on Tony's Journey... **

**Kelly, Team Rocket's spy on Tony's party discovered life when you have a loving family and friends by your side, and is begining to have a battle with conflicting emotions within herself. Afterwards, Tony and co. said goodbye to his Aunt and Pappy, along with Nicole and Marissa, and made their way to Vermillion City, unaware of a strange duo of martial artists fighting each other on Route 11. Will they come across this duo of warriors?**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>The early noon sun was warm and blazing as the kids walked down Route 11. Bird Pokemon were singing, and the grass waved and ruffled in the breeze. A sweet scent of flowers filled the air, creating a throughly pleasent aroma. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the day was looking to be one of the best of summer.<p>

"Alright, try it again! Bullet Seed!"

"P-paras!"

Kelly cracked open an eye as she lay on the soft grass, trying to enjoy a short rest from their long walk, a long walk made none the easier by her current one legged condition. Tony was up with his Paras, Tochu, practicing a new move. Tony was struggling to teach his Paras the Bullet Seed attack, an attack that Tochu could learn.

Could being the key word here.

Tochu was having little luck with the new attack. He could muster up some seed, yes; but they always ended up plopping to the ground, instead of hitting the plastic bottle that Tony had placed on a small rock, the intended target. Tony had even used a marker to draw a rather crude looking Sandshrew on the front (keep in mind that it was a plastic bottle; it was a miracle that it looked like anything). Still, Tochu tried, and Tony encouraged him while Lucky and Alph looked on, eating their lunch. Tony's friends were doing the same. Tayuyu and Katie were sitting on the ground, eating sandwiches, while Kirby was perched on a tall tree they had sat under for shade, feeding Bird Pokemon pieces of bread from his own sandwich, his own birds (and his Scyther, Blade) perced on branches alongside him.

"Alright, try it again!" Tony told Tochu. "Just focus and aim for that bottle!"

"P-paras..." said Tochu, trying hard not to feel discouraged. He was feeling like a total wimp - and in front of Lucky no less. He really wanted to impress her, but so far he hadn't been able to pull his own weight in battle, not even in Cerulean, where he had had a type advantge for heaven's sakes. While he had beaten foes before, he didn't feel much pride in it. He wanted to become stronger, if he could.

Tochu unleashed another volley of seeds... and they promptly fell to the ground. Tochu gave a chittering sigh, defeated.

Tony patted the Paras on the head. "Hey, don't worry!" he said, pulling out a can of Pokemon food, a blend made especially for Paras and Parasect. "Here, eat up! We'll practice later!"

"Para..." Tochu chirped, digging into his food.

Tony took a seat of his own as his Paras began to eat, leaning against the tree that Kirby was sitting in. Kelly had pulled out her own lunch, a container with the leftover lasagna from last night in it, and was trying to eat it. It wasn't easy to hold a fork when you have a bandaged finger. Still, it was worth it. Evidently, she was feeling addicited.

"No luck?" asked Katie, meaning the Bullet Seed endevour.

"We're getting there," Tony said. "We just need a bit more practice."

"Hmm," Katie said, agreeing. She tok a huge bite out of her sandwich before moving on to her riceballs. (Not jelly donuts.)

"So," Tony said. "This Surge guy... Is he tough?"

"Yup," said Kirby from his branch. "Real tough."

"Said the boy who only uses Flying-Types," Tayuyu remarked. "If you're smart, Surge is easy enough. He isn't as a touch as he looks - in a Pokemon battle, anyway. I'd hate to have to face him in an arm wrestling contest."

"I hear ya," said Katie, nodding.

"He can't be that strong," said Kelly. "He only uses Electric Types. A Ground Type would be able to handle him, no problem." She gave Kirby a look. "And I failm to see the strategy in fighting an Electric Type with a Flying Type," she added.

Kirby shrugged. "I like Flying Pokemon. I use them," he said, simply.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "'Ilike Flying Pokemon'," she parroted, though she kept her voice quiet.

"Ahh, you can take Surge!" said Katie to Tony. "You just need guts!"

"Oh, we have guts," Tony said. "That's not what I'm worried about. It's the aspect and possibility of my Pokemon taking several hundred volts that worries me."

All three of Tony's Pokemon shuddered in unison.

"Well, that's not all you have to worry about," Tayuyu said. "We have the preliminaries of the St. Anne to worry about."

Tony nodded. "Hey, what are the preliminaries anyway?" he asked. "I've never heard of them."

"Are you serious?" asked Kelly. "Of course the tournament has prelims. Prelims are a test to see if you're skilled enough to enter the tourney. If they didn't have them, then anyone could get in, regardless of how little skill they have."

"Oh," Tony said. "That makes sense. So, what are they gonna be?"

"Could be anything," Tayuyu said. "Obstacle course, test battles, heck, maybe even just a simple examination of Pokemon to see if they make the cut."

Tony nodded, not sure if he'd like the concept of people just looking at his Pokemon with a critical eye. Bug Pokemon were the oft-subject of ridicule amongst some elitist trainers. Still, he reasoned, it would be better to go and try anyways. He didn't know what the prelims would be, so better to go and give it a try, rather than just assume the worst. "Well, whatever it is, we'll be ready," he promised, more to himself and his Pokemon than to the others.

"That's the spirit!" encouraged Katie.

Kelly turned her head away to hide her scowl. This sugary sweetness was begining to get annoying. She hoped whatever reward the boss would giver her would be huge. She was hoping for a promotion - a big one. To become an admin like Arianna and Proton were, and hunt legendary Pokemon instead of pilfering low level Ratatta and Oddish from beginners.

Still, that monotonous work was leagues above this annoyance. The only thing that kept her going was a sick sense of curiosity she didn't understand, and her desire for more of Sally's cooking.

It was that good.

However, any more of Kelly's pondering was ended by something that shattered her thoughts and brought her back to reality.

A bright orange and white shape shot overhead, smashing into the tree with a "Arr!" The impact jarred Kirby from the tree, sending him to the ground and scaring the Bird Pokemon off, except for his own. Taka, Tim and Blade shot to the ground and helped their trainer up, while the other teens and Pokemon scrambled aside.

An amazing beat crashed to the ground, dust kicking up in his wake. It was a massive dog-like beast, with orange and black striped fur and a cream colored mane that waved like fresh flames kindling on the beasts back.

"Wow," Tayuyu said, surprised. "A-Arcanine."

Tony whipped out his Pokedex for a quick scan. **"Arcanine, the Legendary Pokemon. Arcanine is a rare Pokemon, almost never seen in the wild, and is the evolved form of Growlithe. It evolves only when exposed to a Fire Stone. Arcanine is one of the best known Fire-Types. They live in packs of their own kind in the wild, and guard their territory from any intruders. This specimen is male, roughly 16 years old, and knows the moves Extreme Speed, Thunder Fang, Flamethrower and Giga Impact. Its special ability is Flash Fire."**

"Dibs!" shouted Katie, pulling out a Pokemon. "Athena, let's-!"

Before she could finish, the Arcanine sprang up and shot away, bark as he charged out of their glen and out into the grassy plane. As he vanished over the grass they heard him howl angrily. "Cane!"

Then there was an angry croak in response. "Wraaaaawwwth!"

"What the heck...?" Tony said, confused.

The teens, after a minute of hesitation, peeked over the tall grass.

There was the Arcanine, and another Pokemon. A squat, toad like creature with a deep navy blue skin, and a white belly.

"Hey," said Kirby. "A Poliwrath too!"

**"Poliwrath," **the Pokedex said. **"The Battle Toad Pokemon. Legendary amongst Water and Fighting Types alike, Poliwrath is a force to be reckoned with, especially in the water. They are extremely scarce in the wild, and only evolve from Poliwhirl into this form when exposed to a Water Stone. Poliwrath is so strong, that is had been recorded to be able to cross the Pacific Ocean simply by swimming without stopping. They are amphibious creatures, capable of walking on land, but they need to stay near water, as their skin cannot hold moisture for long. This specimen is male, roughly ten years old, and knows the moves Ice Punch, Surf, Waterfall and Brick Break."**

"Dibs on that one!" said Kelly, wanting the powerful Water-Type for her own. She pulled out a Pokeball of her own.

Tayuyu winced as she saw the Poliwhirl smash his fist into the Arcanine in a powerful Brick Break attack. "Uh... You do that..." she said. That Poliwrath looked outright nasty. "I think I'm good..."

"Aww," said Tony. "Wish is was a Bug Pokemon..."

"A Bug Pokemon holding its own with a _Fire Type_?" asked Kelly skeptically.

"Absolutely!" Tony said.

Kelly rolled her eyes and prepared a Pokeball. But before she could make a move, she heard a strong voice shout: "Use Brick Break again, Leatherhead!"

The party peered over as best they could over the tall grass. Alph crawled onto Tony's head for a better view while Lucky flitted by his head, leaving poor Tochu on the ground, wondering what was happening. They could see too other creatures - humans.

Humans fighting like mad.

One was a dark haired youth, just above Tony's age by the looks of him, with dark skin and dark eyes. He was savagely trading blows with a much older man, who wore dark clothing, a strange bell shaped hat, and had a long knife of some sort strapped by a sheath to his leg. Despite clearly being older than the boy, the man looked like he was genuinly having trouble with the young black belt.

"Looks like they have trainers already," Tony said. He wasn't dissapointed. Neither of them were Bug Pokemon, after all.

Katie and Kelly were a bit bummed out though. Both Pokemon were very strong looking, and rare as well. Still, you know the saying about when something looks too good to be true.

Speaking of the Pokemon, they were still fighting fiercely. The Poliwrath may have been a Water Type, but Arcanine was very swift and agile, able to dodge most of his foe's attacks - and lashed back with a fierce Thunder Fang attack.

But as fierce as the Pokemon were, the humans fought with greater ferocity. Every punch was countered and blocked, every kick was met with another to match, and sweat dripped from the bodies of the combatants to the grass below, giving it some much needed water. (Ick.)

The fight was so brutal, that it kept the kids' attention. They began to murmer amongst themselves, wondering who would win. Katie, who was a big fan of fighting games, began to cheer.

"Hit him with a shoyruken!" she shouted.

Neither of the martial artists seemed to notice, nor their Pokemon. The fight raged on and on and on, until finally...

The young man gave a shout as he unleashed a sudden spinning kick, stricking the older man in the chin and sending him to the ground. He quickly placed his foot onto the older man's throat, pinning him to the ground. At the same time, the Poliwrath lunged at the Arcanine with a Brick Break, but missed the large orange beast, who bit down on the poor Toad Pokemon's arm with Thunder Fang. A powerful electric shock ran down his body, coursing with power.

"Po-poli!" the Poliwrath miserably cried as he fell to the ground, out cold.

The Arcanine didn't waste time with his fallen foe. He charged right for the boy, who was still standing over his pinned foe.

"Looks like I win..." the younger man said.

"I wouldn't count on it," the older man said, casually.

The boy raised an eyebrow as the Arcanine bound towards him. The Legendary Dog Pokemon growled as he circled the younger boy.

"You won our fight, but I won the Pokemon fight," the man boasted.

"Fair enough..." sighed the boy.

He hopped off of the older man as if nothing had happened, returning his outcold Poliwrath to his Pokeball. The older man jumped up off his back, and the Arcanine instantly mellowed up, sitting down and wagging his tail happily at his victory.

"Whoo!" shouted Katie. "Guy with Arcanine wins! Fatality!"

"Shh!" hissed Tayuyu and Kelly in unison, covering Katie's mouth.

It was too late. Her excited cry had reached both martial artists - neither of which seemed to care, really.

"Oh, hey," said the older man, giving a quick wave, returning his Arcanine to his Pokeball. "Hi there."

The young man didn't speak with them at all.

Kelly blinked. "They knew we were here the whole time...?"

"Yeah, we did," said the younger man.

"'Course, had we known you liked the show that much, we would have charged you," joked the older man. "Hiya."

"Uh, hi," said Tony. A little stiff, of course, but how would you respond to a duo of martial artists who suddenly said hello to you after they had beaten the tar out of one another. "I'm-"

"Tony Miller, we know," said the younger man.

Tony nearly leaped out of his skin. "Wha-?"

"You were in the papers," said the older man. "Along with those two, Kirby and Tayuyu. Hello."

"Hi," said Kirby after a short hesitation.

"Alight then, you know our names, but we don't know your names," said Tayuyu suspiciously.

"Would you like to know our names?" asked the younger man.

"...Yes," Tayuyu replied.

"Kevin," the younger man said. "Kevin Young. Nice to meet 'ya."

"Ty," said the older man. He didn't give a last name.

"Uh, hi," said Tony. "Well, you know who I am... Uh, this is Kelly," he said, pointing to Kelly, "and this is Katie!"

"Hi," kelly said quietly.

Katie did what she did best: be Katie. "That was so super awesome!" she said, bolting foward to Kevin. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Teach you...?" Kevin said, surprised. "It took me years of painstaking training and work to get that good. You honestly think you could learn it in a matter of minutes?"

"Hey!" Katie said. "I'm not a wimp! I know lots about fighting! I play Street Fighter too, bub!"

It took all of five seconds for Kevin to come to his conclusion. "You're hopeless," he said.

"Come on!" whined Katie.

Ty laughed dryly. "Forget it, kid," he said.

Katie made a pouting face.

"So..." Tony began. "Care to give an explanation of why you're kicking each other around while having a Pokemon battle?"

"Oh, that?" said Kevin. "Just something we do. Keeps us healthy. Lot more fun than shouting orders all the time."

"Besides, not everyday you get to fight someone hand to hand like that," said Ty. He gave his arms a stretch. "Ahh... Much better."

"I wouldn't recomend doing it, though," said Kevin (mostly to Katie), "you might get hurt without proper training.

"I can imagine so," said Kirby.

"Well, as nice as it's been seeing you, we have to get back to lunch..." Tayuyu began.

"Ooh, lunch? I'm starving," said Kevin.

"Hmph," said Ty. "Me too."

The two walked right past the kids into the clearing where their lunch was.

"Uh, sure," Tony said. "Help yourselves...?"

Tayuyu groaned. "Why does this kinda thing always happen to ME? !"

* * *

><p>Luckily for the kids (and Tayuyu's sanity), both Kevin and Ty had their own lunches. The two were eating their sandwiches and drinking their huge bottles of water (a necessity for any workout), listening calmly as Katie pounded them with a bombardment of questions. She was mainly interested in learning some fighting techniques (both for herself and her Pokemon), and the two answered each question, either with a nod or a shake of their heads. There was a lot of shaking their heads no. Neither of them were particularly eager to take Katie on as a student.<p>

Eventually, the conversation took a turn. "So," Tayyu asked. "Where are you two from?"

"Fuschia," said Kevin.

"Oh, just some mountain," Ty said nonchalantly.

"Travel a lot?" asked Tayuyu.

The duo nodded quietly.

Tony sensed awkwardness brewing, so he changed the subject. "So, heading to Vermillion too, right?"

"Yup," said Kevin.

"Going to compete in the tournament?" Tony pressed on.

"Are you?" asked Ty. He sounded almost skeptical.

"Yeah, if I can," Tony said. "It sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Kevin said. "Fun. If you can make it in. The prelims'll probably be hard."

"Don't tell me you're scared," Ty said.

"I am," Kevin said. "I'm terrified that you won't get past the prelims - and I won't get to stomp you right in front of everybody," he added, with a teasing grin.

Ty smirked dryly. "Like how you 'stomped' Sabrina?" he retorted.

Kevin's smile vanished in a flash. "That's not very darn funny," he said.

"Ooh, meow!" Katie said, earning something between a glare and a look of sheer confusion from everyone.

"Aaaaaanyways," Tony said, "do you have any idea what the prelims are?"

"Nope," both said at the same time.

"Well, you two are chatty," Kelly murmered.

"Yup," both martial artists said. There was a hunt of a smug little grin on Kevin's face.

"You two travel together?" asked Kirby.

"No," said Kevin. "We travel on our own with our Pokemon. Sometimes we met up, and sometimes we don't."

"So," said Ty, suddenly, "those your Pokemon?"

It took Tony a second to realize he was talking to him. His Pokemon were still eating, though Lucky was keeping a close eye on their two guests. "Oh, yeah," Tony said. "That's my team!"

"Not too big..." said Kevin.

"Well, I'm just starting," Tony pointed out. "Besides, I could probably find some more Bug Pokemon around Vermillion."

"Maybe..." said Ty. "Hmm..." He eyed Tony's Pokemon closely.

Tayuyu felt a surge of suspicion travel through her brain. "You're... You're just eating with us so you can look at your competition, aren't you?" she accused.

"Mmm, guilty," admitted Ty. "So, what kinda Pokemon do you have?" he asked Tayuyu innocently.

"Oh, like I'd show you!" Tayuyu said, angrily.

"Well, it's not like you didn't get a view of our Pokemon," said Kevin. "Though, that was insanely underhanded, Ty," he added with a half-hearted glare.

Ty shrugged.

The kids swiftly became defensive. The older man just openly admitted that he was spying on them. If this was a PSA, this is the part where they'd run for an adult.

"So," Ty said, looking at Tony. "How about a battle?"

Tony blinked. "Wha-?"

"Your Paras against, say... My Arcanine. What do you say?"

Oddly enough it was Kelly who spoke in Tony's defense. "You must be under the impression that we're stupid!" she snapped. "A Fire Type against a Bug/Grass Type is one thing, but an Arcanine against a Paras is outright suicidal!"

Ty gave a smirk. "What's the matter? Too scared?" he asked Tony.

"I'm not scared," Tony said, feeling his face turn red.

"Then how about it?" demanded Ty.

The air became silent. Tayuyu, Kirby, Kelly and Katie all stared at Tony, shaking their heads no. Kevin (A/N: Too many K names! Make it stop!) gave aTony a look, as if he expected him to say yes.

Tony felt himself sigh. "No," he said. "I won't."

"Hmm?" Ty muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Tochu's just starting out, and he already has a harsh typing disadvantage," Tony admitted. "He needs a bit more training before we consider facing down a Fire-Type."

Ty gave a nod. Then he stood up. "Well, it's been fun, Kevin, kids... I'd better be on my way."

"Where are you going?" demanded Tayuyu.

"Oh, don't worry; you'll see me again," Ty said. "But keep this in mind, Tony," he added. "If you don't bother to even try - well, that's the same as giving up. You won't get anywhere fast if you duck out the moment there's a chance you could get creamed." He tipped his hat, and grinned. "I'll be seein' ya," he said.

He gave a tremendous leap, bounding over the tall grass and took off, running into the distance towards Vermillion.

"What a freako!" Katie spat, feeling a bit betrayed.

"He is, isn't he?" Kevin muttered.

"You're a freako too!" snapped Katie.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Sorry about Ty," he said, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back.

"Nice guy," Kelly murmered.

Tony was silent. He looked over at his Pokemon. Lucky was looking at him symathetically, and Tochu was looking a bit humiliated. Alph just kept on eating. Ignorance is bliss. Tony felt a bit foolish. He had wanted to challenge Ty, but could he have really done anything to him?

His thoughts went back in time to his fight with Tayuyu. He had almost won, but he had been stopped flat in his tracks by a Fire-Type. Lucky had done her very best, but Blaze wiped the floor with her. Sticking with one particular Pokemon type had its downsides, it seems.

"Hey," Kevin said, as if he read Tony's mind, "don't worry about what he said. He said the same thing to me when I first met him."

"He did?" asked Tony.

Kevin nodded. "My goal... Is to use my Fighting Pokemon to beat Psychic Pokemon."

"Why?" asked Katie curiously.

Kevin's eyes became cold. "When I was a kid, I began training in karate at the dojo in Saffron City," he said. "I was a good student - or so I like to think - and I quickly rose through ranks and belts, until I became second on to our master, Kouchi." He gave a grin as he remembered. "The Karate Dojo was the top gym in Saffron..." he said, happily.

"I thought that was the Saffron City Gym," said Katie.

Kevin made a face that could curdle fresh milk. "I know..." he grumbled. "One... One day..." he stuttered, as if the memory physically hurt him. "One day... You see, Saffron had two gyms for several years, until the Elite 4 decided that Saffron could only have one official gym, just like every other city. So, Master Kouchi went up against Sabrina."

"Ooh, Sabrina," said Katie. "She's a strong one."

"She is," agreed Tayuyu with a nod. "She's a-"

"She's a fruitcake who actually believes that she has 'psychic powers'!" snapped Kevin suddenly. "Anyways, she used her... 'powers' to appearently read my master's mind when they battled..." He sighed unhappily. "We lost. Every move Master Kouchi made, every attack his Pokemon launched - was dodged like it was that blasted Alakazam's flippin' birthright. Those stuck-up psychic's took over the gym - and the Karate Dojo became... It became an... Optional requirement for the league..." His voice was shaking as he said those words. "We were all so dissapointed... But Master Kouchi... He's..." He sighed. "He's become a... He never leaves his home, he always eats take out, he's just so... So depressed. He feels like he failed us."

"That's so sad," said Katie, feeling bad for brining the Saffron Gym up.

"And then?" prodded Kirby.

So, Kevin continued: "I wanted to take Sabrina down - to take her spot and get the dojo back for our master. But... Well, I didn't think I could. Sabrina had Psychic Pokemon, and I only had fighting types. That's when I met Ty. I was training with my Pokemon near town, and I met him. I challenged him to a battle, his Arcanine vs my Poliwrath, Leatherneck. I lost - just like I did today. I couldn't handle it - it didn't seem plausible. I had a type advantage, after all - I should've one. I told Ty that. And you know what? He gave me the same speech he gave you," he said to Tony. "He said that I shouldn't worry about type advantages. They were only one part of a battle. He was right. So I've been training - I'm gonna take on Sabrina and take her down if it kills me."

Tony whistled at the black belt's determination. "Wowza," he said. "Okay, I get it now! What you're saying is that I should have gone against Ty's Arcanine with Tochu, right?"

"No!" Kevin shouted. "Are you out of your mind? You'd be creamed!"

"Oh," Tony said, surprised.

"Lemme rephrase that," said Kevin, realizing that what he had just said pretty much destroyed the good moral lesson he had just put foward. "You can beat an Arcanine with a Paras. You just need some practice, and determination."

"Well, he has one of those things," said Kirby.

"I do, don't I?" said Tony.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Are you actually buying that-?"

"Come on," Kevin said, grabbing Tony's arm. He dragged him off the ground where he had been sitting. "Alright, I feel this really helps motivate you and relieve stress, so I want you to try this with me. I want you to stand up on that rock and shout your goal as loudly as you can."

"What?" Tony said, joined by a chorus of "Huh?"s and "Wha?"s from the other kids.

"Come on, it's easy!" said Kevin. "Observe." He took a deep breath and shouted, "I'M GONNA TAKE THE GYM BACK FOR MASTER KOUCHI! I'M GONNA ROUGH UP SABRINA'S POKEMON! AND THEN I'M GONNA KICK HER SCRAWNY HIDE ALL THE WAY TO THE INDIGO PLATEU!" He looked back to Tony. "Now, you try it."

"Um.. Okay. I'm gonna be the first Bug Type chamion," Tony said.

"...Seriously?" demanded Kevin. "That's it? Louder!"

"I'm gonna be the world's first Bug Type master!" Tony said.

"Louder!"

Tony let it go. "I'M GONNA BE THE WORLD'S FIRST BUG TYPE CHAMPION!"

"Yeah!" Katie said.

"AND THEN I'M GONNA WRITE A COMPLETE GUIDE TO BUG POKEMON AND MAKE EVERYONE SEE HOW AWESOME THEY ARE!"

"Bree!" cheered Lucky.

"Para!" Tochu found himself cheering.

"AND I'M GONNA GO ON TO BREAK RECORDS, WIN AWARDS, AND MAKE MY MOM REGRE..." he paused, realizing he had almost gone too far. "Uh, make my mom... proud of me, somewhere, out there..." he added with signifigantly less enthusiasm.

"Right!" said Kevin with a nod. "Now, let's go! Vermillion here we come!"

"Yeah!" Tony cheered. The two were about to take off when...

"Guys... We haven't finished lunch," Tayuyu said.

"D'oh!"

* * *

><p><em>Omake!<em>

"I'M GONNA BE THE WORLD'S FIRST BUG TYPE CHAMPION!" Tony shouted.

"AND I'M GONNA BE AN ELITE TRAINER!" Tayuyu joined in.

"I'M GONNA BE THE WORLD'S GREATEST FLYING-POKEMON MASTER!" Kirby cried.

"I'M TOTALLY GONNA DATE A CELEBRITY!" Katie cheered.

"I'M TOTALLY GONNA SELL YOU ALL OUT TO TEAM ROCKET!" Kelly screamed.

Anna popped out from behind the grass. "AND I'M STILL GONNA BE A HORRIBLE MOTHER AND HUMAN BEING!" she cheered.

Tony's good mood vanished. He stooped to the ground, siezed a smooth round stone and let it fly.

THWACK!

"OWW!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

**Ahh, yet another chapter finished. Sorry this one took longer than usual, folks. I had trouble getting down Kevin and Ty's personalities, but I liked how they came out in the end, both being serious combatants but with wisdom and advice to offer, as well as some funny lines. I added the shouting your goal thing at the end as sort of a tribute to the Pokemon Black and White manga: in the manga, the main character Black makes it a habit to shout his goal of being champion at the top of his lungs along with his Pokemon every day, which is something I found both humorous and likable. I really don't know why I added the omake at the end, but I thought it was funny - here's hoping you do.**

**Tune in next time for an electric showdown of epic proportions! It's Tony vs. Surge! Round 1**

**FIGHT!**


	29. Tony vs Surge Round 1!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**While on their merry way to Vermillion City, Tony and co. met up with two martial artists, Ty and Kevin. Ty taught Tony that backing out of a fight due to a type disadvantage was nonsense, and Kevin taught Tony to always remember his goal - by shouting it at the top of his lungs. Now, the party travels to Vermillion City, where Tony has a fight with a military officer waiting for him!**

**Also, there was an omake. Weird.**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>The air was fresh with a hint of flowers in the breeze. The sun was beginning to set and the air grew cooler and cooler, though gradually. The sky began to glow violet and orange, as the sun dipped behind the tall skyscrapers of Celadon City, bathing the city in silhouette.<p>

Celadon City, known for its tall buildings, beautiful parks, and vast industrial sectors. It wasn't as big as Saffron, but it was certainly more industrious. Salons, shopping centers, hardware stores, computer labs, and department stores clogged the streets, not to mention the city's Pokemon Gym.

Above all of the buildings there was one skyscraper; a massive monolith that towered over the rest of the city. As the sun set, the tower was cast into eerie shadow, darkness crawling up the tower like some bizarre creature. On the very top of the building, there was a sign, with large letters: Maruko Corp. Headquarters.

Standing inside her office, staring out to the quickly darkening landscape as the sun dipped away into the horizon, was Anna Maruko. Her hands were folded behind her back, and her eyes were cold as she stared off into the distance.

Tony Maruko. Tony Miller. The name of her son whirled about her mind. Angry thoughts began to bubble forth. Mainly about Sally. How dare that... that worthless little _nobody_ try and keep her from claiming what's her own! What right did _she_ have? She didn't give birth to Tony; Anna had. She was Tony's mother, and she fully intended to take him back.

Of course, there was the matter of legal procedures. Anna made a sour face. Even with an excellent lawyer (which she had) and the rather loose legal systems in Celadon (which she was thankful for) it still would be an uphill battle to get her child back.

Not that she cared. She was Anna Maruko: she was the one chance in a million who had made it. She started out as nothing - dirt poor, living on the streets with a brat sister, and with no mother or father. In the end, she was Anna Maruko: rich, powerful, and influential. She was the richest woman in Kanto. She would not be denied her son, much less anything.

"Anna dear?"

Anna turned her head to acknowledge the man and child who walked inside. Martin Silph - owner of Silph Co. He was a tall, middle-aged man, slightly balding with his black hair becoming grey, a handsome face with a strong jaw, dark eyes, and a warm smile. The richest man in Kanto - and husband number two. He was a widower, his last wife dead after a long battle with illness. With him, was his daughter from his last marriage, Anna's very own step-daughter Karen.

"Martin," she said, managing a smile. "You're back from the park?"

"Yes, we are," Martin said. "Lovely day out. You should've come with us."

"Busy," Anna said, matter-of-factly.

Martin gave a sigh. "You always are," he said, shaking his head. "Dinner's in an hour. Will you be joining us?"

"I'll be there," Anna promised with a nod.

Martin walked with Karen to the elevator and hit the button. Soon, the father daughter duo were inside. Karen shot her step-mother a glare and stuck her tongue out. Anna simply rolled her eyes as the doors slid shut, leaving her alone.

Tonight, there would be no more business. No more paperwork, documents to have filed, and shouting at her secretary for bringing her the wrong coffee - again. Tonight, it was just a small, family dinner - minus a family member that she wanted back - at a nice restaurant. Martin, evidently, enjoyed family. Boy, was he married to the wrong woman.

Anna sat down at her desk, shifting impatiently. Her "guest" was late. An hour late. If she took any longer she was going to find herself without a contract - and Anna, being Anna, would likely sell an anonymous tip to the police. She'd done that before.

Suddenly, the intercom buzzed to life. "Mrs. Maruko?" her secretary, Martha, said from the lobby of her headquarters. "There's a woman here to see you, but she doesn't have an appointment. Should I-?"

"Send her up, Martha," Anna said. "Now. This is a personal, private conversation."

"Yes ma'am," said Martha, who knew better than to question her employer.

The intercom went silent and Anna waited for her "guest" in silence. It didn't take long for the elevator to ding, announcing her arrival.

A woman wearing a pitch black straight jacket and with long, bleach blonde hair walked inside. Anna turned her head to take a look at her. "You're late," she said, bitterly. She hated to be kept waiting. Millionaire business tycoons simply do not _wait. _It was below them.

The woman walked towards her. "Sue me," she said. "It isn't easy to get through this city. Too many people. Too many police officers."

"Don't worry about the polices officers," Anna said, turning to face her new "employee". "They are incompetent, lazy, useless, and the local Officer Jenny is never above taking bribes."

The woman smirked. "My kind of town," she said.

"Unfortunately," remarked Anna. "Nice wig, by the way. Your own mother would hardly recognize you."

The woman laughed - a hollow, empty sound - and removed the bright blonde wig, revealing sleek, silver hair, cut above the neck. "Well, I bought it at your store..." She took the seat right across from Anna. "So, a little Swellow told me that you were in need of a professional Pokemon Hunter?"

"I am," Anna said. "I need something captured and brought to me."

"A Pokemon?" asked the woman.

"A person," Anna said. "His name is Tony Miller."

The woman laughed drily. "I don't capture humans - I'm a Pokemon Hunter. If you need a human captured, you're on your own."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "One million," she said.

The woman did a double take. "What?"

"I'm willing to pay one million dollars if you bring me this young man - alive, unhurt, and unaware that I was the one who hired you," Anna said, seriously.

The woman thought about it. "Hmm... I don't know..."

"I need it done discreetly," Anna continued, not listening to her employee. "Secretly and quietly."

The woman smirked. "Well, you see, that's the real trick, isn't it?" she asked. She leaned back in her chair and plopped her booted feet most disrespectfully on Anna's desk. "And I'm afraid that's going to cost extra."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Is it now?"

"One million fifty thousand," the woman said, after a few quick calculations in her head.

"You are out of your mind," Anna said, getting very angry very quickly.

"Well, doing things discreetly is more difficult," said the woman. "Besides, it's not like you don't have the money little Mrs. Money-bag. Perhaps you've forgotten-"

"Perhaps _you've_ forgotten," Anna snarled, standing up. "Perhaps you've forgotten how desperately bad business is for you now. Perhaps you've forgotten how many of your employees have gone over to work for Team Rocket? Perhaps you've forgotten the last and only time you came to Kanto before - and the Rocket Gang ran you our of the region? Perhaps you've forgotten how quickly the Hoenn and Sinnoh police forces shut down your operations? Perhaps you've forgotten how Unova's very own Gym Leaders chased you out the moment they caught wind of your reek? Now, do you want this job or-?"

"Or what?" demanded the woman, now feeling very hot and angry herself. "What will you do, Maruko? Fire me? Call the police? Open a trap door and drop me into a pit of Feraligators?"

Anna glared down at her. "I happen to have a contact in Team Rocket," she snarled. "What if I were to tell him that you were here?"

The woman glared right back, silently.

"What if I were to tell Team Rocket - anonymously of course - that the infamous Hunter J was invading their space and looking for business. They'd find you and take you out in a day at the least." Anna glared harder down at her. "Listen. I have no more desire to have you work for me than you do. However, I have no choice. Every professional kidnapper and criminal is in the employ of Team Rocket, and I will not work with such scum. You _will_ work for me - or else."

The woman - Hunter J - scowled. "Pokemon Hunting," she said, more to herself than her enraged client, "is not what it used to be..." She sighed. "Fine," she snapped. "Give me a picture of the kid. I'll bring him to you."

Anna gave a small smirk. "I'm thrilled you see things my way. That's very wise of you." She handed J the picture and the envelope. "This is information about him, his Pokemon and his friends. No one is to be harmed seriously - no one whatsoever. I'll accept a few bruises, but I would prefer he have all of his limbs. I'd like to avoid any unneeded drawn out police investigations. Do I make myself clear?"

J forced a smile of her own. "Crystal."

"Good," said Anna, walking towards the elevator.

"Tell me," J said, suddenly. "Will he be hard to catch?"

"Will it affect your price" Anna asked.

J smirked. "No. I just love a challenge."

Anna gave a slow nod. "This young man... is idealistic, stubborn, and loves the outdoors. He loves Pokemon too - and I believe he gets along with them better than he does with human beings." She paused, and then added, "I suppose the little idiot gets it from his father..." She began walking again. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have a dinner to attend to."

"Any chance I could join?" J asked, grabbing her wig. "I'm starving."

"No, of course not," Anna said, stepping into the elevator. "I don't associate with criminals. Haven't you heard?"

The elevator doors slid shut, leaving J alone in Anna's office.

* * *

><p>The sun began to rise over the horizon, bright light glowing in the ocean as it rose above the waters that surrounded Kanto. The air was fresh with a hint of salty sea breeze. The day was looking like it would be gorgeous.<p>

Vermillion City, while not the largest of cities in Kanto, was one of the most industrious. The city stood by the sea, and had a large port. Cargo ships and passenger ships came day by day, unloading, loading, and setting off again. Sure, Vermillion was not the only city with a port in Kanto - Cinnabar Island had one too - but Cinnabar was too far away from most of the other cities and towns, while Vermillion was much closer, and therefore easier to access.

Vermillion itself didn't produce much, other than vast amounts of sailors and Pokemon Trainers. But while it didn't make much, it made it easier for the rest of the region to get their hands on products from other shores, and it allowed people to sail to those other shores. Its port was famous for having such ships as the St. Anna dock in it, cruise ships that were massive in size, and could hold hundreds of people. And now, the excitement in the city streets was growing - St. Anna was coming back, and there was going to be a tournament there.

This upcoming tournament was already reeling in trainers. So many trainers, in fact, that the Pokemon Center was packed to the brim, and poor Nurse Joy had to bring out extra bed mats to hold the huge number of people that were staying. Not that she really minded; this was excellent for business, and she was prepared, having already gotten permission to make t-shirts for the event.

The tournament, therefore, was the reason that the Pokemon Center was so crowded in the morning. Trainers of all shapes, sizes, ages, ethics, religions and colors were crowded inside the center, and in the cafeteria too. There was a long line waiting for breakfast, and everyone was hoping that they didn't run out of food.

Katie was standing in line - well, not really standing, sort of skipping and hopping about in place, worried that she would miss out on breakfast. The bouncing around was just making her hungrier, and it kind of looked like she had to go to the bathroom.

Finally, she made it to the front of the line. "Hi!" she said to the frustrated looking woman on the other side of the counter. "I like six eggs with two biscuits in the morning, fried not poached, please!"

The woman stared at her for a second, her eyebrow twitching, before she gave Katie a single scoop of scrambled eggs and a single, solitary biscuit.

Katie looked at the woman. "That's it? !"

The woman grabbed a carton of milk and placed it on Katie's tray. "Out of the line, please. Next."

"Ooh!" Katie whined. "I wanted chocolate milk!"

"Out of the line!" the woman repeated.

"Yes ma'am!" peeped Katie, slinking away.

It took a while for her to find her friends, as the the cafeteria was so blasted crowded. By the time she caught sight of Kelly, Tayuyu and Kirby, she had already eaten most of her eggs, and she was chewing on her biscuit unhappily. Finally she managed to get to her seat, and looked down at her pitiful breakfast. "I'm hungry..."

"Oh, suck it up," Kelly said. "You don't see me complaining."

Katie pouted unhappily, before she noticed something. "Hey, where are Tony and Kevin?" she asked. "I thought they'd be here for breakfast."

Kevin, as it turns out, had decided to accompany them to Vermillion, much to Tayuyu's chagrin. He had bunked with them in one room (which would have been a tight squeeze enough without him there) but in the morning both he and Tony were gone.

"Knowing Tony, there up to something," said Tayuyu. "And knowing Kevin, it probably involves shouting stuff."

"Hey, _I_ liked the shouting stuff," said Katie.

"You would," muttered Kelly.

"Tony and Kevin are probably out training," said Kirby. "You know that Tony wants to be ready for his big fight today."

Just as he spoke these words, Tony came in, followed by Kevin and his Pokemon. All were red in the face, and wearing sweat bands.

"Heya guys," Tony said, gasping. "I'm... back..."

"Jeez, where've you been?" said Tayuyu covering her nose. "You reek!"

"Sorry," Tony said, exhausted. "Just went on a jog with Kevin," he said. "I even got my Pokemon some sweat bands!"

"Bug Pokemon don't sweat," said Kelly with a facepalm.

"I know that!" Tony said. "But they look good on them, don't they?"

Lucky struck a few poses, loving the simple white and violet band on her head.

Despite his long run, Kevin didn't even look tired - he had hardly even broken a sweat. "It's a start," he said. "But I figured you'd be able to run a little more than that. I mean, you've been on your journey for a few weeks, you should be used to running by now."

"I'm used to walking," Tony pointed out. "Walking." He gave himself a sniff. "Whew! I do reek! I'd better take a shower before I fight Surge."

"What about breakfast?" asked Kirby.

"Nah, we're good," Tony said. "We got some breakfast burritos before we ran."

"What? !" Katie shouted, feeling cheated. "I get one lousy biscuit and a spoonful of cold eggs and you get a burrito! No fair! Why does Tony get karate training and I don't! ?"

"It's not karate training," Kevin said. "It was just a job."

"Well, you'd better get to the shower quickly, Tony," said Tayuyu. "With this many people, there's gonna be quite a line."

Tony sighed. "Aww, man..."

"Oh, don't worry," said Kelly. "I'm sure your reek will drive them away."

Everyone stared at the silver haired girl oddly. Even the Pokemon were looking at her oddly. Kelly looked from confused face to confused face, her fact turning red.

"What?" Kelly said. "What did I do?"

"Did you just make a _joke_?" asked Katie.

Kelly blinked. "Uh... Sure, why not? Is that a big deal?"

"Well, no..." said Kirby.

"You've just been an absolute grouch ever since we've started out together," Tayuyu stated.

"You're one to talk, Yuyu," teased Katie.

"DON'T CALL ME YUYU!" snapped Tayuyu.

Kirby swiftly put himself between the two. "Look, rather than argue all day, why don't we just get ready to go to the gym?" he asked.

"Right!" said Tony, standing up dramatically. "Let's do it!"

"Bree!"

"Raak..."

"P-Paras!"

"Uh, but you are taking a shower first, right?" asked Tayuyu.

"Why? Maybe the smell will daze Surge and his Pokemon!" Tony said.

Thwack!

"Sorry."

* * *

><p>Vermillion City Gym stood proud at the very edge of the city, overlooking the sea. Unlike Pewter City Gym and Cerulean City Gym, it did not have a room full of rocks, or a room full of pools. It had a room full of trash can.<p>

Wait... What?

Tony grumbled to himself as he heard the now all too familiar beep that indicated he had failed. "Oh come on!" he shouted.

The others who had been through Vermillion Gym were having a laugh at Tony's expense. "Come on, Tony!" chuckled Tayuyu. "We all had to do it before you did!"

Tony grumbled in reply. "This is stupid," he said, searching through another can. "Who thought this was a good idea! ?"

The moment Tony had arrived in the gym, he was greeted by trash cans. Loads of them. Then, he was given the task of finding two switches inside them to open the door to the actual arena. If he could find both, one after the other, he would get his fight. The only problem was that if he didn't find the second directly after the first, he had to start all over. And, according to the rules, he had to do it all on his own, no help from any Pokemon or person, which added to the annoyance. He was grateful, however, that the trash cans only had paper waste in them: he had just taken a shower, after all. A cold one, too. Someone had used up all the hot water before him.

Tony grunted as he found another switch. He pressed the red button down and pulled himself out of the trashcan. He was feeling frustrated. "Alright, where's the next one...?"

"It's usually adjacent to the one you just pressed!" advised Katie, who had in fact been through the gym before.

Tony groaned. "Oh, that narrows it down." He sighed. "Alrighty, eeniee meeniee minie..." He chose a trashcan and ducked in. "DANG IT!"

The kids burst out into a new fit of laughter. Even Kelly found herself with a small smile, though she didn't want to admit it.

Suddenly, the door to the gym slid open. A pair of booted feet pounded the floor, past the chortling teens, and walked directly behind Tony, who still had his head inside the trashcan.

"Alright, let's try this again..." Tony muttered.

"TENSHUN!" the man hollered.

Tony gave a very girlish scream and popped out of the trashcan. His friends all nearly leaped out of their skin.

Above the still terrified Tony stood a huge man. (A/N: Insert Guile's theme here.) He stood over six feet tall, and was a virtual wall of muscle. He wore a pair of dark tan pants and sleeveless camo shirt. He had three Pokeballs attached to his belt, and his blonde hair was tall and spiked.

"L... Lt. Surge..." Tony stuttered, recognizing the man.

"ON YER FEET, MAGGOT!" Surge shouted.

Tony stood as straight as a beanpole and saluted nevously, sweat-dripping down his brow.

Surge stared at the terrified boy long and hard before he began to slow - but surely - chuckle. It didn't take long for him to begin laughing. "Hohohoh, man!" he snickered. "The look on your faces! Hahaha!"

Everyone in the room let out a breath of relief, except for Kelly, who was quite confused. Katie, Kirby, Tayuyu, and Kevin had all forgotten that Surge was very fond of jokes - especially on people who had never met him before and only knew him by reputation.

Surge wiped a happy tear from his eye. "Sorry, sorry," he said, grabbing Tony's hand and shaking it fiercely. "Tony Miller, right?"

"Yeah," Tony said. "But... Oh, you heard about it from the news, right?" he asked, knowing that was the general reason.

"Oh, nothing so simple, kid," Surge said. "I'M JUST WATCHING YOU ALL THE TIME!" he snarled suddenly, glaring at him hard.

"Meep!" Tony said, quietly.

"He's kidding, Tony!" Katie said. "I hope..."

Surge burst out laughing again. "Oh... Boy!" he chortled. "You are too easy to get!" He turned over to the teens. "Oh, hey! I know all of you!" He poined at Katie. "You're Brock's friend!"

"Yeah," Katie said, "that's me, Katie!"

"And you were here about a year ago," he said to Tayuyu.

"Yeah, hi," Tayuyu greeted.

"You're that kid who hates Sabrina," he said, pointing to Kevin.

"I don't _hate_ her," specified Kevin. "I just want her to go down..."

"You're the bird boy!" he said to Kirby.

"Hey," Kirby replied.

"And you're... Uh, I don't know you..." he said, looking at Kelly.

"Kelly," Kelly stated, flatly.

Surge sized the girl's hand and gave it a hard shake. "Great to meet ya. I'm Roger Surge, but you can just call me Surge. I'm the leader of this gym! So," he said, turning back to Tony, "you wanna battle?"

"Uh, yeah, that's why I'm here..." Tony said, slowly.

Surge stepped back and sized him up. "Hmm... You're shorter than I expected."

"H-hey!"

"I dunno..." Surge said. You look a little shrimpy, kid. You been eating right?"

"Well, yeah, kind of," Tony said. "I mean, you lose a lot of weight on these travels..."

"Yeah, you do..." Surge muttered. "Alright!" he said, suddenly. "I'll let you show your stuff! Let's battle!"

Tony nodded. "Right! ...Oh, as soon as I find the switch..." He began to look inside another trashcan, but Surge cut him off.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Surge said. "I haven't used those things in months. They irritated all of the trainers that came by." He pulled out a small remote and clicked it. With a BEEP! the sliding door to the gym slid open.

Tony facepalmed. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Surge laughed. Somehow, Tony felt as if he had stepped right into another of the military man's jokes.

* * *

><p>The gym's arena was big; very big, giving the Pokemon a lot of room to move around. The ground was a dark color, and had several lightning bolts painted on it. If you couldn't guess Surge's preference in Pokemon by his name, you could by this room. It spelled Electric-Type. Literally, the words "All Electric Pokemon" was written on the wall.<p>

Hmm.

Tony glared down the battle field at his foe. Surge glared back, a cocky grin on his face. Evidently, he was more sure about the outcome of this battle than he was.

Tony's friends were sitting in their seats, shouting words of encouragement, with Kirby rolling the camera. The referee made his way to his podium in the center. "The Gym Battle between Tony Miller of Pallet Town and Lt. Surge of Vermillion City will now commence! As the challenger, Tony gets the first attack!"

Tony pulled out a Pokeball and clicked it open. "Tochu, go!" he ordered.

Tochu emerged on the ground, looking nervous but ready for battle. The jog he had gone on that morning left him feeling a bit faster and more energized.

"Go, Voltorb!" said Surge in response. With a flash of red, a spherical Pokemon appeared on the ground, facing down Tochu. It was another Voltorb, like Wattson.

"Voltorb," Tony said, pulling out his Pokedex.

**"Voltorb, the Ball Pokemon. Voltorb's body is the same shape and color as the ever-popular Pokeball, and in fact the design of the Pokeball was designed after this creature. Voltorb have energy cores inside their body, which produce large amounts of energy for attacks. Despite their rotund shape, these Pokemon are astonishingly fast, capable of attacking quickly and efficiently. This specimen is male, roughly seven years old, and knows the moves Thunder Wave, Shockwave, Rollout and Sonicboom. Its special ability is Soundproof."**

Tony looked down at his own Pokemon. "Alright, Tochu, we can do this. Grass beats Electricty... Kinda..."

"Par..." Tochu said, feeling jittery.

"Alright!" shouted Tony. "Start off with Slash!"

"Para!" chirped Tochu, charging at Voltorb with claws at the ready.

"Voltorb!" said Surge, striking a fighting pose. "SONIC BOOM!"

"Vol!" Voltorb buzzed. "VOOOOOOOOOOOL!" he cried, unleashing a loud screech of raw noise. It wasn't very strong, but it knocked poor Tochu back, sending him to the ground with an unhappy chirp.

"Now! Thunder Wave!" shouted Surge.

"Tochu, move it!" Tony called.

Tochu had the sense to do just that. He swiftly hopped to the side, the electrical attack crackling just behind him as it missed completely.

"Now, Spore!" Tony shouted.

"Don't bother!" Surge said, cutting him off. "Rollout!"

"Vol!" Voltorb grunting, rolling round and round and shooting at Tochu like a massive marble.

"Tochu!" cried Tony.

But it was too late. Tochu took the hit and was sent flying again, dazed - too dazed to avoid the next Rollout which hit him right in the face. The poor Paras hit the ground, out-cold.

"Tochu is unable to battle!" said the referee. "The winner is Lt. Surge!"

The air seemed to be sucked out in one collective gasp. Tony had lost the first battle - badly. He hadn't done any damage to the Voltorb whatsoever. This fight was gonna be an uphill one.

"We're not done yet," said Tony, fiercely. "Alph, you're up!"

With a scarlet flash, Alph appeared, looking ready for battle... sort of, it was kind of hard to tell with him.

"Alright, Alph," Tony said, kneeling down by him. "I need you to try your hardest, okay?"

"Raak!" Alph said with a nod.

"Alright, Nightshade!" Tony shouted.

Alph scuttled foward, unleashing a blast of pitch black energy. The bolt struck Voltorb, knocking him back with a "Volt!"

"Voltorb!" Surge shouted. "Sonic Boom!"

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!" screeched Voltorb as wave after awave of sound pounded Alph.

"Alph, jump and use Leech Life!" Tony ordered.

Alph gave a nod, leaping over Voltorb's attack and landing on top of the Ball Pokemon, sticking his fangs into him.

"Rollout, Voltorb!" said Surge, not giving Tony a chance to order another attack.

Voltorb buzzed as he rolled forward - with poor Alph holding on for dear life. "RAAAAAAAAAAAK!" he shouted as the Voltorb ran him over repeatedly, before finally sending him flying to the floor, dazed.

"Now! Shockwave!" ordered Surge.

"Voltorb!" Voltorb buzzed, unleashing a sparking ball of energy that immidietly homed in on Alph.

"Alph, look out!" Tony shouted.

Sadly, it was too late. The mall exploded, lightning bolts shooting off everywhere. Alph took a hit, and the another, and was then sent flying, flat on his back with his legs twitching.

"Alph is unable to battle," the ref shouted, waving a flag in Voltorb's direction. "The winner is Lt. Surge."

Tony's confidence had taken a dive. Sure, he had actually landed a hit on Voltorb this time, but only just barely. He was losing, badly, and he hadn't gotten past his first foe.

Surge gave a cocky laugh. "Is that all you got? !" he demanded. "Don't tell me you're giving up!"

"Not yet," Tony said through gritted teeth. "Lucky, you're on!"

Lucky emerged with a flash and began to circle her foe, flapping her wings elegantly. "Reee!" she chirped, ready to get some payback.

"Sleeping Powder!" ordered Tony. "Go!"

Lucky's wings became a blur as she flapped a cloud of green dust towards Voltorb.

"Sonic Boom!" shouted Surge.

"VOOOOOL!" Voltorb shrieked, unleashing a blast of sound that tore the cloud apart, scattering the dust harmlessly away.

"Try it again, Lucky!" shouted Tony.

"Bree!" Lucky shouted, preparing to unleash another blast.

"Shockwave!" Surge shouted.

Voltorb unleashed another burst of electricity.

"Lucky! No! Move, move!" Tony shouted.

Lucky flitted to the side, desperate to escape the attack. But to her own shock and horror, the attack homed in on her and...

BZZZZT!

"R-Ree!" moaned Lucky as she plunged to the ground, electricity coursing through her body.

"Now! Rollout!" Surge commanded.

"Vol!"

Voltorb smashed into the prone Lucky before Tony had time to react. The poor Butterfree was sent to the ground, out-cold.

"Lucky is unable to battle! The winner is Voltorb and Lt. Surge!" the ref shouted.

Tony didn't hear him. He didn't have to. With his hand slightly trembling, he returned his poor Butterfree to her Pokeball, and gave a sigh.

He had lost.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**First things first folks - I'm going on vacation in a few days, and I don't believe I'll be here on Friday for the next update. Sorry about that! Gettysburg sounds fun, but I do regret not being able to chat with you guys for a while. I'll be sure to update as soon as I possibly can afterwards.**

**Secondly, d****rama! Woogie woogie woogie!**

**Well, Tony has had his first loss against a Gym Leader - and his first really huge loss in a long time. He wasn't able to knock out a single Pokemon. What will this do to his confidence as a trainer - and will it affect what his Pokemon all think of him?**

**I decided to make Tony lose this one - not because I don't like him, but because, well, he beat both Misty and Brock, and while he did have a challenge with them, I think that Surge would be a bit more of a challenge - except in Pokemon Yellow, where he is by far the easiest Gym Leader in the game. Losing is a part of competition, after all. We all lose eventually.**

**And Anna's hired not other than the infamous Hunter J to work for her. I don't watch the Pokemon anime much, and I only remember one episode with her, and even then I could barely remember what she looks like. Remember back a few chapters ago when Kayla called her a "one-eyed daughter of a Growlithe" ? Well, that's because I literally thought she only had one eye. Weird, huh? So, in the end I tried to make her kind of a Pokemon version of Boba Fett from Star Wars - minus the retconned New Zealand accent, of course. Now, Tony has both an internal and another external problem to deal with. How will he cope?**

**Tune in next time for a new OC and Eeveelutions! Lots and lots of Eeveelutions.**

**Oh, hey, and spell check is back up! Thank you, Fanfiction.**


	30. The Departure of Alph

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony's mother, Anna Maruko, hired the infamous Hunter J to kidnap Tony and bring him back to her! Tony went to the Vermillion Gym and faced Lt. Surge, but lost horribly, not able to beat any of his Pokemon. Now, with his confidence in low supply and his Pokemon in the Pokemon Center healing up, what will Tony do? Will anyone be able to help him get out of his slump?**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

**So, without any further adieu, let's get started!**

**...Okay, okay, before we start, you will recall that last week there was no update because I went to Gettysburg for vacation, and I know some of you might be interested in how it was.**

**It was awesome, simple as that. The first day we were there we actually didn't go to Gettysburg, we went to St. Elizabeth Anne Seton's church, and got to learn about her before heading to a friend of my dads for an awesome dinner. Then the next day we went to Gettysburg, and had a great tour guide named Stan who took us all around the battlefield and showed us all the statues and memorials and told the story of the battle with great detail. On day number three we went to town and went to see the awesome antique shops. After that we left for my grandparents' house, but not before seeing Eisenhower's house. After a few fun days at my grandparents', which included a railway museum, a boat ride, and watching the Adventures of Tintin (see that movie, it's awesome) we came home, and I got back to my usual schedule, and my adoring fans - AKA you guys.**

**Well, enough of that! NOW we can get started!**

* * *

><p>PLIP. PLOP. PLIP.<p>

Pebble after pebble sailed through the air, landing into the sea with a small splash of water and foam. The water lapped the sand, often carrying stones that had been tossed already been thrown out, rolling back to the shore, only to be picked back up and tossed out again. The sun was high in the sky, but it was beginning to descend, as the evening drew ever closer.

Tony was sitting alone by the beach, tossing stone after stone into the water. All by himself; his Pokemon were all in the Pokemon Center, getting healed up. He didn't say a word, or make a sound; he just kept tossing those pebbles.

He had lost. Horribly. He had let all of his Pokemon down, the same Pokemon who had worked so hard and struggled along with him. He felt horrible. Even the pats on the back his friends have given him and the "Maybe next time, kid," Surge had given him didn't make him feel any better.

He felt horrible; he could with losing - he had learned to lose when he was young, and he would take Lucky to the Pokemon fights when she was just a Caterpie. That he could stand. But this? Losing without knocking out a single foe - and when he and his Pokemon had worked _so _hard. It felt terrible. Tony felt like it was all his fault - he was the trainer, after all. He should've been able to give his orders faster, with more skill and timing. But in the end, he had a badly bruised Tochu, a singed Alph and Lucky was looking horrible, beaten and blasted with lightning. The healing machines could fix that, but they couldn't fix the fact that they had been defeated soundly.

Tayuyu, Kevin, Kirby and Katie were all standing by the shore, all feeling concerned for their friend after his rather devastating loss. None of them really knew what to say. Sure, they had all had their losses before, but none of them had ever lost that badly. Only Kelly wasn't feeling particularly sympathetic.

"So..." said Tayuyu. "Who's gonna talk to him?"

"Why don't you?" asked Kirby.

"Me?" Tayuyu said, annoyed. "I'm no good with that kinda stuff... Why don't you do it?" she asked the Bird-Keeper.

"Oh... Ah..." Kirby stuttered. "Well, I'm not really very good with it either..."

"You're kidding!" Tayuyu snapped.

"I spend most of my time with my Pokemon," Kirby retorted. "What did you expect?"

"Hmph... I would've won. I would've won easily."

Tayuyu rolled her eyes. "Kelly, _shut up_."

"Stop arguing," said Kevin with a scowl. "It's being handled."

"By who?" asked Tayuyu.

"By her," said Kevin, pointing towards Tony. Katie was walking towards him, hands folded behind her back.

"Oh no..." groaned Tayuyu.

"Heya," Katie said, approaching Tony. "How do you feel?"

"Hmm..." Tony murmured.

"Hey, come on!" Katie said. "You'll get him next time! We all lose something sooner or later! It's part of training Pokemon!"

"I... I didn't even..."

"Hmm?" Katie leaned in. "What was that?"

"I didn't even knock out his Voltorb..." Tony said, quietly. "I... I can't believe I let my Pokemon down like that..."

Katie sighed and took a seat next to Tony. "Hey," she said. "Look, I lose all the time. I'm not the best trainer in the world, none of us are - even Tayuyu and Kelly aren't the greatest trainers in the world. We all have our little faults - some of us have big faults, really big faults - but the important thing is that you keep on going, okay?"

Tony sighed. "I... I guess so... We've come this far... I can't turn back now, not with Aunt Sally, and Uncle Brad and Pappy all rooting for me."

"Don't forget Brock and Misty, and Tobias and Angelica and Josh!" said Katie. "They're cheering for you too!"

"Yeah, right..." said Tony with a nod.

"So don't let one loss - horrific as it may be - get you down!" shouted Kelly. "You can take him on again and win!"

"How?" Tony asked. The depression began to sink in again. "I didn't just get beaten, I got... Wiped out!" He angrily tossed another stone.

"Hmph... You really gonna give up so soon?"

Tony and Katie gave a scream of surprise in unison. Tony stood straight up, and Katie nearly fell into the water had Tony not grabbed her hand.

Standing directly behind them was Ty, his arms folded.

"Y-you!" Katie shouted, surprised. "You freako!"

"How long have you been standing there? !" Tony demanded.

"Long enough," said Ty, shrugging.

"Thanks for the warning guys!" Tony shouted to the others, who all gave shrugs in response.

Ty sighed. "Did you seriously forget what I told you yesterday already?" he asked.

"Look, what you said yesterday was pertaining to losing against a foe with a type advantage, not losing to a foe just because you're completely incapable of fighting against a foe because he shrugs off every attack you send his way and counterattacks before you can blink!" Tony retorted.

Ty raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you want a new piece of wisdom from me?" he asked.

"...Kinda," Tony admitted.

"Alright, here's one," said Ty. He slapped Tony in the back of the head.

"Oww!" Tony shouted, unhappily.

"Don't give up or I'll slap you," stated Ty. "Wisdom given and received."

"No! That is not wisdom!" shouted Tony. "Wisdom does not involve slapping, or the threat of slapping!"

Ty sighed. "Alright, you know what? Here ya go, I'll make up a new piece of wisdom..." He paused for a moment and thought about it. "Okay. You aren't fighting against a foe with a type advantage against you - except for your Butterfree - so why not tip the odds in your favor." He pulled out a Pokeball. "Remember Cerberus, my Arcanine?" he asked.

"Yeah, he was awesome," said Tony. "What's this got to do with me?"

"Simple," said Ty. "Cerberus is a Fire-Type - meaning he's mainly weak to Water-Types. So, I let him learn Thunder-Fang, to help give him an advantage against a Water-Type should the opportunity ever arise that I need to fight one with his help."

Tony nodded. "I see..." he muttered. "Electric-Types are weak against Ground-Types... But unless there's a Nincada wandering around here... Wait a minute!" He snapped his fingers. "Dig!"

"Dig?" asked Ty, a knowing smile appearing.

"Dig!" Tony declared.

"Dig-Dug! I love that game!" Katie shouted.

Ty and Tony stared at the girl. "That doesn't pertain to what we were talking about at all..." Ty said.

"Oh, shut up, freako."

"Dig is a Ground-Type move that either Alph or Tochu could learn," Tony said. "And I know just the place to go to teach it to them! Diglett Cave!"

"Good..." Ty said with a nod.

Kirby nodded. "Diglett Cave is inhabited by Diglett and Dugtrio, Pokemon that both are famous (or infamous) for their digging capabilities!"

"Diglett and Dugtrio?" asked Katie. "You sure we're not talkin' about Dig-Dug?"

"We're sure," everyone said at once.

Tony stood up. "Alright, moping time is over! I'm getting my Pokemon back and going to go train in Diglett's Cave!"

"Good," said Ty. "Well, see ya around," he told Kevin, walking off.

"Hey!" Tayuyu shouted. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, here and there," said Ty, waving a hand nonchalantly. "See you kids in the tournament." And then he was gone.

"Jeez Louise," said Kirby. "You know, there's something odd about that guy..."

"No!" Tayuyu said, sarcastically. "We haven't noticed!"

Tony wasn't listening to his friends argue. His feet were already in motion towards the Pokemon Center.

"Wait up!" Katie shouted. "I wanna go too!"

"Why?" Tony asked. "You don't need to beat Surge, do you?"

"No!" said Katie. "But I wanna do some training too! Gotta be ready for the tournament!"

"Well then," Tony said, half-way expecting her real motivation to be revolving around Dig-Dug, "let's go! Seeya guys!" he called.

"Hey!" Tayuyu called. "What are we supposed to do while you're gone?"

"Oh, do whatever!" Tony said. "I'll be back later! Meet us for dinner!" He waved goodbye and walked off with Katie following behind.

Tayuyu groaned. "One random kid is enough on this trip..." she growled.

* * *

><p>Ages ago, when the areas around Vermillion were uninhabited beaches and wetlands, and before Pokeballs were invented, there were Digletts. Well, there were Digletts before that, but they were all over the place back in those days. These Pokemon were infamous pests, eating roots of plants and flowers. Especially potatoes; the buggers loved potatoes.<p>

Anyways, back in the good ol' days, a bunch of Diglett and their evolution Dugtrio made a huge, massive cave near Vermillion, allowing them easy access to Pewter City, then a small farming community. The cave lasted throughout the ages, eventually becoming a shortcut from Pewter to Vermillion, although most people chose the more scenic route.

Tony whistled as he stepped inside the dark cave, turning on his lantern. "Whoa," he said. "Big... Thank goodness it's just one long tunnel. No twists or turns to get lost in."

"And no psychopathic maniac with a grudge chasin' ya down, right?" asked Katie.

"Don't remind me..." Tony said, rubbing the mark on his neck. "Hey! Look! A Diglett! And there's a Dugtrio!

Sure enough, poking its brown little head from the corner of the cave, was a Diglett, staring curiously at the intruders. Next to him was a much larger and three headed creature called Dugrio. They were very round looking creatures, almost resembling potatoes, there face blank except for their tiny little eyes and their larges noses.

Tony pulled out his Pokedex. **"Diglett, the Mole Pokemon. An infamous pest in the agricultural world, Diglett is notorious for eating the roots of plants, along with any root vegetables it finds, such as carrots and potatoes. These Pokemon are known for the move Dig, and for their apparent lack of feet. However, studies have concluded that they do in fact have feet, very small ones with sharp claws. Diglett Dig by clawing at the soil and spinning their bodies like drills at high speeds."**

**"Dugtrio, also known as the Mole Pokemon. Dugtrio is a larger and faster version of its pre-evolution. It has three heads that dig in unison, allowing it to tunnel at much higher speeds. This creature is more aggressive than its pre-evolution, but only if attacked. If two of the heads fall asleep, one always stays awake to keep watch."**

The Diglett and Dugtrio didn't know what that strange beeping thing in the human's hand was, so they decided to leave, burrowing underneath the ground.

"Great! He left his a hole to study!" said Tony. "We'll look it over and then see if we can do it!"

"Why not just catch a Diglett and use it yourself?" asked Katie, turning on her own lantern.

"What? Are you nuts? !" Tony asked. "I can't use a Pokemon that isn't a Bug! If the Bug Catcher's Union found out they'd be outraged! I'd lose all my union benefits! Besides... Aunt Sally has a thing about Digletts...

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

* * *

><p>Sally Miller kneeled on the grassy ground, her hands clenching the earth in rage. Her teeth were gritted, and she quickly reached for her weapon of choice - a mallet - and faced down the trails of dirt that were swiftly approaching their battlefield: Sally's garden - also known as a prime Diglett buffet. For weeks the little monsters had been enjoying meals the expense of her and her plants. But no more.<p>

No more.

"Alright you little petunia munching thieves..." Sally growled, raising her mallet. "COME AND GET SOME!"

* * *

><p><em>End flashback<em>

* * *

><p>Tony shuddered. "Ugh... I don't even wanna think about it. Thank goodness she gave up gardening for dancing last summer." He reached onto his belt and released his Pokemon. "Lucky, Alph, Tochu, come on out!" he said.<p>

The trio of Bugs appeared in a flash, Lucky and Tochu flitted and stood at the ready, eager for training. Alph however, looked bored and distant.

"Alright, guys," said Tony. "We're gonna teach Alph and Tochu how to Dig! Next time we face Surge, we're gonna be ready."

"Breee!" complained Lucky, tired of not getting any training.

Tony sighed. "Sorry, girl," he said. "I know I've been spending a lot of time training up the guys. Tell you what, when we're done with Dig, I'll work on Dream-Eater with you, okay?"

"Bree..." chirped Lucky. Dream Eater was a good move...

"Alrighty then"! Tony shouted. "Let's go!" he said, pointing dramatically into the tunnel.

"Yeah!" Katie said.

The party began to march forward... until they noticed someone was missing.

Tony whirled around. Alph was crawling away from them - away from him. The Spinarak was scuttling away to the entrance of the tunnel.

"Hey! Alph!" Tony shouted. "Where are you going?" He swiftly ran after the Spinarak, Lucky flying after him.

"Bree! Ree bree ter tree ree butter? !" Lucky snapped. (Alph! Where do you think you're going? !)

"Spinarak," Alph said. (I quit.)

"Bree? Ree butterfree!" said Lucky. (Quit? You can't quit!)

"Alph, what's wrong?" asked Tony. "Are you hungry? Tired? Do you have to use the bathroom? Is the mating season early? What's wrong, dang it!"

Alph raised his abdomen and blasted Tony in the face with a thick strand of webbing, covering him with sticky string. Tony cried out, struggling against the webbing that covered his face. Another shot of webbing aimed for Tony's legs tripped the boy, sending him to the ground with a grunt.

Tony pulled the webbing off his face to see Alph near the entrance. "Alph, wait!" he cried. "Is it because we lost? I'm sorry!"

Alph didn't slow.

"That's why we came here!" Tony shouted. "All we have to do is train! We can get better and better! We can win!"

Alph looked over his shoulder almost regretfully. However, he shook it aside. Here was Tony, a human. Tony, who used him to fight against Mach, a Machamp, whom Alph had no chance whatsoever in beating. Tony, who used him to the point of exhaustion in Mt. Moon. Tony, who sat there and watched as that Voltorb fried him to a crisp. Tony, who only seemed to like him because he was a Bug Pokemon.

Alph was done taking orders from the young man. He was calling his own shots from now on - if he wanted a trainer, he would chose the trainer. He was his own boss.

With one last look of disappointment, Alph crawled away, crawling out from the cave.

Tony stared after him, his sapphire eyes becoming misty with tears. "Alph..." he muttered.

"Oh, Tony," Katie said, all bubbliness gone from her voice. "Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be," Tony said, wiping his eyes. "It's my fault." He looked down at his Pokemon silently. Neither of them said a word.

"Let's go back to the Center..." Tony said.

"What? !" Katie explained. "You can't be serious!"

"I can..." Tony said. "I... I don't think I can train anymore..."

"Tony! Stop being mopey!" Katie shouted. "You said you'd stop!"

"That was before my Pokemon left me..." Tony said, quietly.

"Tony, you can't give up!" Katie shouted.

"Bree!" Lucky agreed.

"Then what should I do! ?" demanded Tony. "Get my Pokemon hurt again until I chase them all off too? !"

"Bree! Bree ree!" Lucky chirped.

"Whatever she said, it's right!" Katie said. "Lucky believes in you, and so do I! What happened with Surge was just a standard gym leader defeat, and if Alph doesn't want to train with you, then it's his loss!"

"But..." Tony began.

He felt something tug his leg. He looked down to Tochu, who stared up at him nervously with his big blue eyes. The Paras scuttled back a bit and began to crawl at the ground, trying to dig into the dirt.

"T-Tochu..." Tony muttered. Tochu, the meekest and possibly the least skilled of his Pokemon was actually willing to train without the promise of food. Just for Tony. Here was Lucky, his best friend since he was a child, who would never leave him - and he felt foolish for thinking for a second that she might.

Alph was gone - but he still had friends left. And he wouldn't let them down.

Tony felt a smile, albiet a sad one, appear on his face. "Okay," he said. "Let's train."

"Yeah!" cheered Katie. "Come on, let's go get diggin'!"

"Bree!" chirped Lucky.

"Paras!" said Tochu - without any hesitation or nervousness.

And so, they went on, ready to begin training again. However, as they walked down the path, Tony turned and looked at the entrance once more. He felt a tear trickle down his cheek - the first tear he shed since his mother left him.

_Goodbye, Alph._

* * *

><p>Karen Silph shouted, "You stupid, lousy, lizard!"<p>

Tony was not the only one with defeating Lt. Surge in mind. Karen Silph had arrived that morning with her father and -step-mother to speak with the dockmaster about the arrangements with the tournament - a tournament Karen wanted to win badly. She had faced Lt. Surge today, and had won. No thanks to Blaze, of course. The Charmeleon still refused to do anything she told her to.

Karen glared right into Blaze's eyes. "When are you gonna get it through your thick head? !" she demanded. "I'm the trainer! You're the Pokemon! You do what I say!"

Blaze opened her mouth and breathed a puff of soot and smoke into Karen's face, who jumped up coughing and spluttering. "You... You...!" Karen seethed. With a growl, she pulled out Blaze's Pokeball and returned her to her Pokeball. "I'll deal with you later..." she snapped. She turned to Licky, who was standing nearby after a long fight with Surge. "Well, it's a good thing I can rely on you, Licky," said Karen.

"Lickitumgh!" Licky agreed, giving Karen's face a long, affectionate lick.

"Eww!" Karen said, wiping the spit off of her face. "Less spit next time! Blech!"

"Lick," slurred Licky apologetically.

Karen sighed. "Well, I guess we're done here. Better go find dad and..." She made a sour face. "Anna," she said, spitting out her stepmother's name like a bad taste in her mouth. "Come on, back in the Pokeball you go, boy!"

"Liki!" Licky said, as Karen activated his Pokeball and returned him to it.

Karen sighed and began the long walk back to the hotel.

She hated Anna. She really hated Anna. She knew that that woman was a witch the very moment she had met her, and her father had started dating her. And now she was her step-mother.

Karen had tried to make the best of the situation - she really did. She tried to get Anna to like her. But Anna barely ever paid her any heed. She was all smiles for her father, but she couldn't care less about Karen. That's when Karen started digging around for information about Anna - information she might use against her, to make her leave, and let Karen and her father go back to how things should be. So, Karen asked questions - lots of questions. Anna's employees were mostly silent. They were deathly afraid of her, but even Anna Maruko can't stop people from talking. Eventually, Karen came across a piece of news that shocked her, accidentally dropped by Martha, Anna's secretary - and Anna's former child-care service.

Anna had a child. A son.

No one knew who the father was, except Anna herself, and no one knew where the father was now. But Anna had a son. After prying Martha, Karen learned that Anna's son was named Tony, a young man who lived in Pallet Town with Anna's sister. Karen was both shocked and delighted. Here, she had thought, was some prime blackmail material. She brought it up to Anna one night - and was shocked to discover that Anna knew who had told her, and she knew that Karen was digging around into her past. She also learned that her father too knew of Tony's existence, and that he was coming to the wedding.

Karen's eyes narrowed in the memory. She still remembered Anna's searing words that night.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

* * *

><p>"You want to know something, Karen? Tony - my son- is an idealistic, stubborn little twat with social issues and an obsession with Bug Pokemon - and he is still a hundred times the trainer - and child of mine - that you could ever be. So sit down, shut up, and keep out of my personal business. Like it or not, I am marrying your father, and I intend to have Tony return to our home. So get used to me being your mother - and do get ready for your older brother, won't you?"<p>

* * *

><p><em>End flashback<em>

* * *

><p>Karen gritted her teeth. She hated Anna, and she didn't think to highly of Tony either. If Anna thought that Tony was so fantastic, than Karen would just have to destroy Tony. Destroy him in the tournament, where everyone could see it happen.<p>

Karen paused, and took a deep breath. "Jeez," she muttered. "I'm getting worked up again. I need an ice cream." Her mouth felt dry, and she was in the mood for something sweet to make her feel better. She also needed to buy Pokemon food for Licky - a special Lickitung blend for his hard work in the gym.

She veered off her course towards the local ice cream parlour. However, just as she got close, and just as she was debating if she wanted sprinkles or not (gotta watch those calories) something caught her eye. A small, green and yellow creature was crawling across the road.

Her eyes widened. "A Spinarak? !" she exclaimed, partway confused and partway excited. Spinarak was a rare Pokemon in Kanto, and it would make a nice addition to her team. But how did it get here? The only Spinarak she had seen so far was...

No... It couldn't be. Could it?

Karen walked towards the Spinarak, pulling out a can of regular Pokemon food. "Heya, little guy..." she cooed. "Hungry?"

The Spinarak scuttled past her as if she didn't exist... until he smelled the food. He slowly turned around and stared blankly at the girl.

"I... I remember you..." Karen said. "You're Tony's Spinarak... Right?"

Alph shook his head.

"You aren't anymore?" Karen asked. "You left him?"

"Rak," Alph said with a nod.

"Ooh, I understand completely!" Karen said. "_I'd_ hate to be his Pokemon too!" She popped open the lid of the food and gave him a piece, which he eagerly accepted. Being an independent Pokemon who made his own choices was a hungry job. "Tell me... Why'd you leave?"

"Raak!" Alph said huffily, pointing towards Vermillion Gym.

"Ooh..." Karen said. "Did Tony get beaten by Surge?"

Another nod.

Karen smirked. "Well," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her badge case. "I didn't..."

She flipped the case open. Sitting inside, bright and shiny was the Boulder Badge, the Cascade Badge, and the Thunder Badge, gleaming brightly. Karen polished them often. Alph stared in amazement, impressed that such a small human could defeat Surge.

"It was easy, really," Karen said. "Licky made it simple. Of course, I think you could do it, with a good trainer and some practice."

Alph stared thoughtfully at the girl.

"Why don't you come with me?" Karen asked. "I'm a better trainer than Tony is!"

Alph tilted his head to the side, skeptically.

"Oh, so what if he beat me one time!" Karen said. "I have a Thunder Badge and he doesn't! I'm in the lead now!"

Alph gave a slow nod. "Raak..."

"So join with me!" Karen said, kneeling down and facing Alph, looking right into his inky eyes. "Let's join up, with Licky and you fighting like pros, and me giving the orders, we'll be the best! The best there ever was!"

Alph stared at the girl for a second. Then, he slowly raised a foreleg.

Karen took the meaning at once, shaking it with her own hand. "Welcome to Team Karen, Spinarak... Of course, you'll be needing a new nickname... Hmm... I know! You are now Scuttle!"

"...Raak?"

"Uh... Okay... How about Toxic?"

"..."

"Jeez, you're picky... I know! Attercop!"

"...Spinarak?"

"It means 'Poison Head' in some dead language. You like?"

"...Raak."

"Awesome! St. Anne Tournament here we come!"

"Raak!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Well, I like this chapter a ton, but I feel a bit nervous about it. It starts out kind of melancholy, then it gets enthusiastic and fun, and then Alph leaves. Kinda mood swingy, ain't it? And in the flashbacks, we go from Sally preparing to defend her garden in a hilarious (and rather PETA rage invoking) way, and in the next we have Anna telling Karen about how much she sucks, and that Tony is better than her. It is a bit mood swingy.**

**So, yeah, Alph's gone. Well, not forever - I mean, Spinarak is my favorite Pokemon of all time. No way I'm writing one out. But he is gone over to Karen's side for now. I like this for two reasons you might like it for.**

**First off, Alph has gone against foes that are stronger than him, and some that have had type advantages over him. Losing to Surge was the last straw. Alph is quiet and curious, but he has his limits to how quiet and calm he'll be. He honestly thinks that Tony just likes him because he's a Bug Pokemon, and because he can make him fight, and Alph doesn't want to be with someone like that. I like this because it touches on something they never really explore in the games so far - the fact that Pokemon can dislike you, and, if sufficiently unhappy enough, they will leave you. This is really heartbreaking for Tony, who gets along with Pokemon better than people, and feels Alph leaving him as rejection, and hatred from the Spinarak. Tony feels he should have treated Alph better in some way, and now he's down to two Pokemon - which may be something he regrets quite soon.**

**Secondly, we get a little more on Karen in these chapters. Now we know who her father is, the man who owns Silph Co. Now we also discover her rivalry with Tony - it's not really against him, it's against Anna, like how one of the reasons Tony trains is to make his mother notice him, and see how strong he really is. Another thing you might have noticed is that like Tony, Karen spoke with Alph at his level. She looked him in the eye, she spoke like he was a human being, and treated him with respect, even though she was somewhat manipulating him. This is to show that Karen and Tony are more alike than they seem - they both get along better with Pokemon than people. However, as Tony sees his Pokemon as his friends and equals (as he can't train without them) Karen views her Pokemon as her underlings, much like most trainers. However, when push comes to shove, she's willing to stick up for them. We'll be seeing more of this drama in the later chapters, so stick around!**

**Also, Alph got a new name from Karen. Don't worry, I'll still be calling him Alph. Anyone who has read _the Hobbit_ probably knows where that name came from. For those of you who have not, I'll give a brief explanation. In the chapter Flies and Spiders of the book, Bilbo Baggins, title character and protagonist, is lost in the forsaken forest of Mirkwood with his dwarvish allies. After they get separated in a tragic turn of events, Bilbo falls asleep and awakens to find that a giant spider is tying him up and trying to poison him. Bilbo draws his sword (actually a dagger) and slays the spider, naming his weapon "Sting" as a result. When he discovers the dwarves have all been captured by these giant, sapient spiders, who are planning to eat them, he uses his magic ring to turn invisible and distracts the spiders by throwing stones at them and calling them "Old Tomnoddy!" and "Attercop!". I rented the _Annotated Hobbit_ from the library, which explains that a tomnoddy is a stupid or foolish person, and attercop translates to "Poison Head" which is the old english or Welsh word spider (I forget which.) This works because "apart from stones, no spider likes being called attercop, and tomnoddy, of course, is insulting to anybody."**

**Apparently, Katie is a Tolkien fan.**

**Hmm.**

**Well, there's your Tolkien trivia for the day I guess. Sorry if I had a Tolkien Nerd moment there.**

**Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate some reviews and feedback!**


	31. Dig those Eevee?

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**After a horrific defeat at the hands of Lt. Surge, Tony was advised by Ty to go to Diglett Cave so he could teach Alph and Tochu to use Dig. However, Tony was horrified to discover that Alph - tired of being defeated, and feeling used by Tony - left the party, leaving Tony with only two Pokemon. Alph managed to find his way to Karen Silph, Tony's rival, and now they've joined forces to be the best there ever was!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

**And today's special thanks goes to... Selm for his awesome OC! Thanks a ton!**

* * *

><p>"We've got this, we've got this..."<p>

"Paras!"

"Eevee!"

The sun was beginning to set over Vermillion, but Diglett Cave was as dark as ever, except for the glow cast by Tony and Katie's lanterns. Dinner would be served at the Pokemon Center soon, and both Pokemon and human were tired and ready to leave those dark caves. But first, Tochu wanted to learn Dig. He needed to learn Dig - for Tony.

Tochu, upon looking back, realized just how dreary and dark his life in the caves had been. Sure, outside made him skittish and nervous, but seeing the beauty of the sun, and spending time with Lucky were fantastic. Not to mention that he felt stronger - he had defeated enemies, all by himself, and helped Tony win badges. He was determined not to let anything, even Alph leaving, make him give up.

So, there they were - Tony and Alph were clawing at the earth, Tony practicing Dig with his Pokemon, just as he had helped him train to learn Slash and tried to help him learn Bullet Seed. They had studied the holes that the Diglett and the Dugtrio had made. Tochu had crawled inside it to look inside, and Tony knew that Diglett and Dugtrio "drilled" as they dug by spinning their bodies to help dig faster, something they could probably use. It didn't take long for them to start practicing together. Of course, they weren't the only ones digging. Jack, Kelly's Eevee wanted to learn Dig too, and was pawing at the ground with the others. Only Katie wasn't digging at the ground like a lunatic. She had picked up a box lunch from the Pokemon Center and was enjoying her riceballs - away from Jack, whom she knew would steal them if he got the chance.

Tony wiped a drop of sweat from his brow, breathing heavily. "Alright," he said to Tochu. "You're gettin' there... Let's take a breather."

"Paras!" agreed Tochu, feeling worn out himself.

Tony plopped down next to Katie, reaching into his backpack and pulling out two water bottles, drinking from one while pouring the other onto Tochu. The Paras soaked up the water through his mushrooms happily, as Tony pulled out two cans of Pokemon food and opened them, letting Lucky and Tochu get their dinners. Tony pulled out a granola bar of his own and started eating feeling exhausted.

Katie felt bad for Tony. She could see he was trying harder than ever to train his Pokemon well, and to keep them happy. He was trying to put on a brave face, but she knew that behind that face was a sad, heartbroken young man, feeling horrible about his personal failure. But he was going to try, no matter how horrible he felt; for his family, his friends, his Pokemon and for himself.

Katie sighed. Poor Tony. Down to only two Pokemon, and feeling like it was all his fault. She wanted to say something uplifting or encouraging, but words failed her. She was never really one for those kind of talks - heck, that freako had to give him one today, while she was trying to do it. Sure, she had given him words of encouragement earlier, but they were feeling a little flat now. Tony still felt depressed, and the air around him even felt sad.

Katie turned to Tony. The young man's face was smiling, but it was a sad smile, as he looked down at his happily eating Pokemon. A determined look crossed Katie's face. Well, she had to say something. She was his friend after all!

"Hey," she said, "I'm sorry."

"I know," Tony said with a nod.

"And if Alph doesn't think you're a good trainer, then it's his loss!"

"I know. You already said that."

Katie facepalmed. _Stupid, stupid!_ she snapped at herself. "Well... lemme say something I haven't said yet... Uh... You aren't a horrible trainer, Tony. You've been beaten this time, sure, but there's always another battle around the corner, right?"

Tony gave a slow nod.

"Yeah," Kelly said, feeling confident that she had said something that sounded wise-ish. "So, cheer up! There's always a next time!" she said, reaching for her last riceball.

Tony nodded. "I... know... I know. It's just... Well, it's gonna take some time for this to blow over..."

Katie picked up her riceball. "Don't worry about it," she said. "This too shall pass." She moved her riceball closer to her mouth.

"Vee!"

Seeing his favorite food out in the open, Jack leaped up and grabbed the riceball with his mouth, bounding off to eat it.

Katie stood up instantly, siezed her lantern, and snarled. "You... Little... Rice-stealing ingrate!" she screeched, chasing after the Eevee. "Jack, that's mine! Eat your own food!"

"Evee!" Jack called in a teasing tone. He was feeling playful and firsky, and his blood was still pumping after his digging excersize. He wanted to play his favorite game - namely, tag. And he knew there was only way way to get Katie to chase him. "Eevee!" he taunted, waving his tail in a mocking fashion before bolting.

"Don't you use that kinda talk with me, young man!" shrieked Katie, chasing after the Eevee, deeper into the tunnels.

"Katie!" Tony shouted. "Wait!"

"Be back as soon as I strangle Jack!" Katie called, running after the Eevee with furious intent.

Tony groaned as Katie disappeared into tunnels. "That girl never listens..." he muttered.

"Bree..."

"Para..."

Tony grabbed his own lantern. "Well then," he said. "Let's go after her. Katie is the only girl I know who could get lost in a perfectly straight cave."

Lucky and Tochu nodded in agreement, crawling and fluttering behind him as he walked deeper into the Diglett Cave.

* * *

><p>Diglett Cave was big. Yeah, it was just one straight line, but it was a straight that was a mile long. An entire mile of darkness and stepping in burrows - unless of course, you were smart and brought a light of some sort. But if you were a Pokemon with eyes unadjusted to the dark, and terrified of just about everything, you were in serious trouble.<p>

A lone creature slowly crawled through the cave, terrified and alone. He had chocolate brown fur, a creamy mane, and dark brown eyes that were filled with tears. He was an Eevee, but he wasn't Jack - his name was Evolution, or Evo for short. He was alone, without his trainer, and trapped in a dark cave.

His eyes scanned left and right for any sign of the friendly face of his trainer. All he received was darkness, and more darkness. Even as his eyes gradually began to adjust to the bleak landscape, he could still see very little.

He was trying not to cry, but it wasn't working. He hated it when he couldn't see his trainer, or hear his voice.

"V-Vee!" he called back from the direction that he came. He waited a few seconds for a response, horrified that there might not be one.

His ears pricked up. He thought he heard someone answer. Could it be...?

"...Evo? !..."

Evo's eyes widened in delight. "Eevee!" he shouted again, yipping loudly for his trainer to come and find him.

"Vee! Eevee!" said another voice, deeper than his.

Another Eevee collided with Evo, sending them both sprawling to the ground.

Evo blinked as he stood up, confused. He stared over at the other Eevee, who smiled apologetically before bolting again, giggling to himself as he hid behind a rock.

Evo stared after him, confused, annoyed, and worrying that that Eevee might be sick with something.

"JACK!"

Evo nearly leaped out of his fur. A bright light was cast on his face. Towering over him was a human female girl, with red hair and a red face, looking very eerie and angry in the light of her lantern.

"There you are..." she growled.

Evo swallowed. "Eevee..."

The girl reached out to grab him, grumbling to herself. "You need to...!" she began.

"Eevee!" growled Evo suddenly. He stood up and snarled at the girl, getting defensive.

"Don't give me that, you thief!" snapped Katie (for of course it was here). "You do the crime you do the time!" She moved towards him again.

"Vee!" snapped Evo, unleashing a Shadow Ball at the girl.

Katie screamed and fell backwards, the attack narrowly missing her. "Hey! What was that-? !"

"Vee!"

Katie looked up. Another Eevee was making faces at her from behind a rock. She looked from one Eevee to the other, realizing that she'd been had. "What-? You? And you? And the rock? And the other Eevee... and... JACK, I'M GONNA STRANGLE YOU!" she shouted. She paused and then looked down at the other Eevee. "Ih, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know you weren't Jack. I'm Katie," she said, kneeling down, "who are you?"

Evo stepped back, still growling.

Katie reached out. "Come 'ere, little guy, I'm not gonna hurt ya!" she promised.

Evo leaped right onto Katie's head, bounding onto her back and then leaping down to the floor on the other side, shooting away from her like mad back the way that she had come.

"H-hey!" said Katie, surprised. "Where you-?"

But it was too late. Evo was gone, deeper into the tunnels.

Katie sighed. "Who was that little guy...?"

"Evo!" said a happy voice.

Katie whirled around. There was a young boy holding Jack in his arms. He had, oddly enough, dark purple hair, and bright amber eyes, and he was wearing a white t-shirt that had the word Evolution written on it. He was cuddling with Jack close, who was confused but enjoying being loved.

"There you are," said the boy. "I've been running through this place looking for you, ya nut."

"Eevee...?" Jack yipped.

"You ready to go...?" began the boy.

"Um, excuse me," Katie said. "Hiya. That's my Eevee."

The boy jumped, having not noticed the girl. "Huh, what? This isn't your Eevee, this is Evo!"

"Uh, no, that's Jack," Katie explained.

"I'm pretty sure that I know my own Pokemon," the boy shot back.

"Well, you clearly do not, because that's not your Eevee!" Katie shouted.

The boy stared at Katie, and then at the Eevee. He felt Jack's head for a second. A look of shock and meekness came over his face. "Uh-oh," he said. "This isn't Evo! He doesn't have a dent in his skull!"

"Yeah! ...Wait, what-?" began Katie.

"Sorry, ma'am!" said the boy, placing Jack on the ground. "Gotta find my Eevee! Seeya!" He took off in a flash, running down the path with his flashlight glowing wildly as he ran.

"Another freako..." muttered Katie. She glared down at Jack. "Well," she said, raising en eyebrow. "I hope you're proud of yourself. See if I ever feed you my broccoli under the table ever again!"

Jack feigned a shamed look.

"Don't give me that!" shouted Katie angrily. "Come on, let's get back to Tony. I'm feeling sleepy, and I wanna go to the Pokemon Center!" She turned around and began to march out of the cave when suddenly she tripped over something, landing on the dirt floor with a grunt. "Oww!" she complained. "What was that! ?"

Jack bounded up to his trainer, genuinely concerned. "Vee?"

"Drapi..." snarled a low voice.

Katie grabbed her lantern and looked around. A pair of of huge, angry looking eyes were glaring at her venomously. The creature moved forward, its pincer like claws snapping at the girl.

Katie jumped back, horrified. "What the-? !"

"Ria..." another voice hissed, sounding like a creaking door. Katie whirled around and saw a pair of violet eyes glaring with the same contempt that the ones behind her were.

Snarling and hissing, the two shadowy creatures approached.

Jack jumped into Kelly's arms, terrified. Kelly could only muster up a "Meep!" before turning around and running away.

The two creatures stared after her. Both wanted to chase her down. However...

_"Ignore her!" _buzzed a voice in both of their ears. _"She's not the one we want! That Tony kid should be in that tunnel! Get him and bring him back to me! Now!"_

The two creatures nodded, exchanged looks, and then crawled deeper into the tunnel.

* * *

><p>"Katie! Where'd you go?" called Tony.<p>

"Bree! Ree ree?" called Luck, equally concerned. The bubbly girl was nowhere to be seen. They hadn't gone too far into the cave, and they still had a way to go before they reached the end. Tony wasn't eager to walk all the way back to Pewter City tonight. He was feeling sleepy, and wanted a hot dinner and a bath before bed. As such, he was eager to find Katie and Jack as soon as possible.

"Vee!"

Tony started. An Eevee was running towards them, with an angry and frightened look on his face. The creature came to a halt in front of Tony, growling at the boy and crouching low.

"Jack!" Tony said, surprised. "There you are! Where's Katie?"

"Vee..." "Jack" growled, lowly.

Tony reached out to pick the Eevee up. "Jack? You okay?"

"Vee!" snapped "Jack", charging a black and purple sphere of energy. With a loud bark he unleashed it right at Tony.

Tony ducked, surprised. The attack shot harmlessly overhead phasing into the wall as if it never had existed. "What the-? ! Jack, it's me!"

"Vee!" growled the Eevee, preparing to unleash a second Shadow Ball.

"Bree!"

The Eevee screamed as he was fiercely struck by a blast of mental energy, sending him to the ground in agony.

Lucky floated down in front of Tony, looking quite angry with the Eevee. "Butterreee!" she shouted.

Tochu swiftly crawled next to her, raising his claws in a defensive posture. "Para!"

The Eevee slowly stood up, badly hurt by the attack. Everything was dizzy. "Eevee..." he groaned.

"Evo!" a voice shouted.

A young violet haired man charged forward, grabbing the poor Eevee off the floor. "Evo!" he said, looking down at the Eevee, looking worried. He glared up at Tony. "Did you do this? !" he demanded, angrily.

"Well, yeah..." Tony said. "But, he-!"

The young man stood up. "No one kicks Evo around!" he shouted. "He's had enough of your type to last a life-time!"

"Look, uh..." Tony began.

"Ryder!" the boy snapped.

"Yeah, Ryder," Tony said. "That Eevee attacked me! I was just defending myself!"

Ryder pulled out Evo's Pokeball and returned him to it. "Evo doesn't attack anyone without a good reason!" he retorted. "You must've done something to make him attack!"

"I did not!" Tony argued. "You're being ridiculous!"

"And you're being cruel!" Ryder snapped. "What kind of horrible trainer are you? !"

Tony felt his right eye twitch. Horrible trainer. This punk actually called him that. He growled. Losing Alph was one thing, but this guy had the nerve to call him a horrible trainer. "Alright, pal!" Tony snapped. "You wanna go? Let's do it then! Tochu, you're up!"

"Para!" Tochu chirped, crawling forward nervously.

Ryder was equally angry, thinking Tony had attacked poor Evo. "Alright, go Blaise!" he said, unleashing his own Pokemon.

With a scarlet flash, a cream and dark orange colored creature appeared, striking a battle pose. "Flareo!" she yipped.

Tony pulled out his Pokedex. **"Flareon, the Flame Pokemon. Flareon is one of the three evolved forms of Eevee that can be unleashed by an evolution stone. This Pokemon is a powerful fighter, using blazing hot attacks against enemies. This Pokemon is loved by collectors, and its fur is very silky and soft. This specimen is female, roughly 4 years old, and knows the moves Ember, Swift, Bite and Screech. Its special ability is Flash Fire."**

"A Fire-Type," muttered Tony. "Of course. It just wouldn't be unfair enough without one."

"Ember, Blaise!" commanded Ryder.

Tony panicked, knowing that a Paras getting hit by a fire attack was a game over for him. "Dodge it, Tochu!"

"Para!" Tochu chirped, leaping to the side.

"Ember again!" Ryder shouted.

"Flareo!" barked Blaise as she fired again at the Paras.

"P-Paras!" peeped Tochu, as he leaped again. However, he tripped over a rock and fell to the ground, leaving him open for the next attack.

"Ember again!" Ryder ordered. "We've got him!"

"Tochu!" called Tony.

The fireball streaked right towards Tochu. The Paras swallowed as the attack grew closer and closer until...

FWOOSSH! A powerful Ember attack struck the spot where the Paras was, engulfing it in a flurry of flames and smoke. When the fire and smoke cleared, all that was left was a small pile of blackened dirt.

Tony was horrified. "Tochu!" he cried.

"Butter!" Lucky shouted, terrified and worried.

Ryder and Blaise both looked worried, and even guilty. Had they actually killed the Tochu.

Tony ran forward, kneeling on the ground and picking up a handful of the black soot. "You... You reduced him to ash!" he shouted at Ryder.

"I..." Ryder stuttered.

Suddenly, the ground underneath Blaise rippled, and then, before the Flareon could react, exploded. An orange shape burst from the ground, knocking the Flareon to the ground.

"Para!"

Tony's eyes widened. "Tochu!" he said, surprise and relief in his voice. "You used Dig!"

Tochu nodded as he landed next to the dazed Eeveelution.

"Blaise!" said Ryder, surprised.

"Tochu!" Tony called, taking control of the situation. "Slash attack!"

Tochu raised his sharpened claws and swiped Blaise fiercely across the face. With a "Reon? Reon..." the Flareon collapsed to the floor, out cold.

"Alright!" Tony shouted. "We did it!"

"Bree!" said Lucky, very impressed.

Tochu looked at the out cold Fire-Type. He felt dizzy. Had he actually beaten it?

"Good job, Tochu!" called Tony.

Ryder gritted his teeth as he returned Blaise, unable to believe he had seriously just lost to a Bug Grass Type with a Fire Type. "Alright then," he growled. "Fine!" I'm not down and out yet! Go, Bolt!" he shouted, about to unleash his second Pokemon.

"Wait!"

Katie ran up to the battling duo, breathing heavily. Jack swiftly ran up beside her. "We gotta get outta here!" she shouted. "There's... Oh, uh, what's goin' on?"

"This jerk just beat up my Eevee and my Flareon!" Ryder said.

"My Pokemon defended me from that Eevee and this jerk came along shooting fireballs and Tochu! He nearly murdered the poor guy!" Tony argued.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Hey!" Katie shouted. "Look, clearly there's been a huge misunderstanding here. Could you go back to the beginning?" she asked Ryder.

Ryder sighed. "Okay... I was on my way from Pewter to Vermillion, and I decided to train a bit in the caves with my Eevee, Evo. But a Dugtrio startled him - he's a bit skittish in the dark - and he got seperated from me. I chased him down, bumped into you, mistook your Eevee for mine, and then came down this way where _this guy_," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Tony, "had just throttled the poor guy!"

Katie turned to the very offended looking Tony. "Tony...?"

"I was looking for you," Tony explained, "when I thought I saw Jack. It turned out to be that Evo guy, and he got angry with me and tried to hit me with a Shadow Ball. Lucky took him out before he could fire off again. Then this shmuck comes along and starts accusing me of being a horrible trainer!" he snapped, glaring at Ryder.

"You're totally lying!" Ryder retorted. "Evo would never attack anyone... Unless..."

"Unless what?" asked Katie.

"Unless they tried to pick him up..." admitted Ryder. "He hates in when someone other than me picks him up."

"Oh," Tony said. "Well, that explains it."

"See?" Katie said. "Neither of you is the bad guy here! Problem solved!"

"Hmm," Ryder said. "I guess so."

Tony and Ryder stared at each other for a moment.

"Although," Tony said, a smirking crossing his face, "we _were_ just totally wiping the floor with ya."

Ryder returned the competitive smirk. "Oh, is that right?" he asked, pulling his second Pokeball out again. "Well then, let's see-!"

"W-wait!" Katie shouted. "Dang it, I got so caught up in being your referee, I forgot to tell you!"

"Tell us what?" asked Tony.

"There's these huge monsters back there!" said Katie.

"Vee!" agreed Jack.

"Monsters?" asked Tony. "What monsters?"

"Well... I didn't really see them..." Katie explained. "Just their eyes. But they were all mean and angry lookin'!"

Ryder raised a skeptical eyebrow and looked at Tony, who looked equally skeptical. Turning back to Katie, he said "Are you sure you didn't just see a couple of Digletts?"

"No, I didn't!" Katie said. "The eyes were like, huge! And they looked all angry!"

"I dunno..." Tony said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's dark in these caves... Maybe you just saw..."

"Oh, come on!" Katie shouted. "I saw them!"

As his trainer argued her point, Jack felt a few pieces of dirt land on his head, plopping to the ground. The Eevee looked up. "Ee vee?" he asked the other Pokemon. (What's that?)

Tochu and Lucky looked up with Jack - and saw a sight that terrified them.

Clinging to the ceiling of the tunnel was a large, red and yellow spidery creature with dark purple eyes. It was clinging to the ceiling with its back legs and a thick rope of webbing, and in its forelegs was a thick net of web - and it was poised right above Tony.

"Bree!" Lucky said, panicking. She burst foward and knocked Tony out of the way just in time. The spider fell down from the ceiling and narrowly missed Tony, hissing in anger as its attack failed.

"What the heck-? !" Tony said, surprised.

"That's it!" Katie said. "Those are the eyes! Well, one pair of the eyes! Where's the other ones?"

A huge claw ripped out from the ground and siezed Tony by the ankle. With a horrified cry, Tony felt himself getting pulled into the ground. "Guys! Help!" he shouted, struggling against the creature's grip.

"Tony!" shouted Katie, terrified. She ran to help him, but the spider moved first, spitting a Spider-Web attack at the girl, wrapping her up in the webbing and immobilizing her. The spider hissed in a mocking manner and turned to Ryder, ready to rope him up as well.

Tony growled as he struggled to break free. "That's... That's an Ariados!" he said, surprised. He managed to get a hold of his Pokedex.

**"Ariados, the Long Leg Pokemon. The evolved form of Spinarak, Ariados is native the the Johto Region. This creature is nocturnal by nature, and is a social animal, living often in groups with other Ariados and Spinarak. Ariados, unlike its previous form, is a land based hunter. When it finds prey, it launches a strand of webbing onto it in secret. The webbing is so gentle that it cannot be felt by most Pokemon. Then, the Ariados will go back to its pack, trailing the webbing behind, allowing it to locate its prey by following the webbing again. This Pokemon is famous for its odd marks on its back, making it appear to have two faces on either side to confuse foes. This specimen is female, roughly nine years old, and knows the moves String Shot, Spider Web, Poison Jab and Pin Missile. It's special ability is Insomnia."**

Tony gritted his teeth as the claw pulled him deeper into the soil. An Ariados. If this wasn't a life or death situation, then he'd be trying to capture it. "Lucky, Tochu, help!" he shouted.

Lucky and Tochu swiftly came to Tony's aid. Tochu grabbed onto Tony's hand with his claws and Lucky gripped the Paras from behind. The duo pulled and pulled, struggling to lift their trainer from the ground.

"Ryder!" Tony shouted. "You gotta fight! It's a Bug Pokemon!"

"Well if you hadn't knocked out my only Fire-Type, I'd be able to take advantage of that!" Ryder said, dodging the Ariados's attack.

"It's part Poison-Type!" Tony said. "Psychic-Type! Psychic-Type!"

Ryder grinned grimly. "That I can do!" he said, pulling out a Pokeball. "Go, Rizar!"

A deep violet Espeon emerged from the Pokeball in a flash, glaring down at the Ariados, who hissed and raised her forelegs threateningly.

"Espeo!" taunted Rizar, shaking his tail at the Ariados.

The Ariados snarled and hissed, venom oozing from her mandibles. With an angry shriek she unleashed a volley of Pin Missile.

"Use Quick Attack to dodge it!" ordered Ryder.

"Espe!" yipped Rizar as he shot to the side, dodging the volley of needles as easy as pie.

"Now, Psychic!" Ryder commanded.

"Espeo!" Rizar shouted, unleashing violet waves of mental power, striking the Ariados and sending her to the ground, her legs twitching in pain.

"Great job!" shouted Ryder.

"Uh... Little help?" called Katie as she struggled to break out of the webbing. Jack was biting and clawing at the thick strands, uselessly trying to get his trainer out as well.

Ryder flushed. "Whoops," he said, pulling out an army knife and helping Katie cut the cords as swiftly as he could. "Gimme a second, I'll get you out. Hang in there!" he shouted to Tony, who was still keeping his head above the ground, and his one three arm was being pulled by his Pokemon. "Rizar, help them!"

"Espeo!" Rizar said with a nod, leaping foward. The scarlet gem on his head glowed bright scarlet as he picked Tony out of the ground with powerful mental force, dropping him to the ground.

Tony quickly got up and scrambled away from the spot he had been grabbed, the Pokemon following him. "W-what was that thing? !" he demanded.

"Beat me!" Ryder said, finally cutting Katie loose. "But we'd better get out of here and get some help!"

The ground began to rumble and shift before the teens, and with a mighty roar of "Drapio!" a huge purple colossus emerged before them. A thick, violet exoskeleton covered its body, and its long arms had sharp claws at the end, dripping with poison. A long tail with a clawed stinger at the end. The creature growled as it crawled towards them. The Ariados picked herself up and faced down the teens as well. They were surrounded.

Tony pulled out his Pokedex. "It's... It's a..."

**"Drapion, the Ogre-Scorpion Pokemon, and the evolved form of Skorupi. Drapion is a vicious combatant in battle. It is armed not only with a pair of poisoned pincers, along with an equally toxic tail, but its fangs produce a vicious venom as well. It ferociously rips its prey apart with these natural weapons. This Pokemon is native to the Sinnoh Region. This specimen is male, roughly nine years old, and knows the moves Cross Poison, Dig, Pin Missile and Poison Fang. Its special ability is Battle Armor."**

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Tony groaned as he stood back to back with Katie and Ryder, their Pokemon forming a protective ring around their trainers. "What do we do now? !"

"What else?" asked Ryder. "We fight! Rizar, use Psychic on Ariados again!"

Rizar shot forward, glowing as he unleashed a blast of psychic powers at the Ariados. But this time she was ready, leaping out of the way and firing off a volley of Pin Missile at her foe. Rizar ducked underneath her attack, and the two began to exchange fire. However, the Ariados always seemed to be able to dodge the Psychic attack, and Rizar was getting tired.

"Looks like we've got the ugly one..." Tony muttered, staring up at Drapion.

The Drapion was practically foaming at the mouth. Snarling, he began to crawl towards them, his pincers clicking as he approached.

"Lucky, Silver Wind, Tochu, Spore!" Tony shouted.

Lucky whipped up a vicious gust with her wings as Tochu released spores into the gust, carrying them straight towards the Drapion. The monster scowled for a second, closing his mouth and holding his breath until the spores faded.

"What the... How did he react so soon?" Tony demanded.

Katie pulled out another Pokeball. "Alright, Athena, time to fly!" she shouted, releasing her powerful Pidgeot.

Athena scowled as she touched down in front of her trainer. She hated caves - there was never enough room to fly.

"Jack, jump on Athena! Athena, use Drill Peck!" shouted Katie, pointing at the Drapion.

"Pidgey!" chirped Athena, as Jack jumped onto her back. She shot towards the Drapion like a feathered torpedo.

"Drapi!" snarled Drapion, grabbing the bird by the neck and stopping her attack in an instant.

Jack barked angrily as he jumped at the Drapion. However, he didn't attack. He stopped and stared. Something was attached to the Drapion's head...

The Drapion snarled at the Eevee, spittle flying from his jaws.

Jack screamed as he fell down to the ground, horrified. He jumped up and began to bark at Katie, pointing frantically. "Vee! Eevee!"

"What? What is it?" Katie asked.

"I think he's trying to tell us something..." Tony said, holding up his lantern. The he saw it too. There was a silver device on the side of the Drapion's head, right on his ear. It appeared to have a microphone and a camera attached to it. "These aren't wild Pokemon!" he exclaimed, finally understanding. "There's something attached to Drapion's head! It looks like a camera!"

Ryder held up his own light. "I see it!" he called. "Someone's giving these guys orders!"

"Well, let's stop them, shall we?" asked Katie.

Drapion snarled as he tossed the wounded Athena aside. _"Forget about the others!" _snapped his trainer. _"Get that boy!"_

Drapion growled, charging forward and grabbed Tony, wrenching him off the ground fiercely off the ground. Tony screamed as the Drapion batted away his Pokemon, sending them to the ground in pain.

_"Good. Now bring him back!" _the voiced hissed in Drapion's ear.

"Lemme go!" Tony shouted, kicking Drapion right in the face.

The Ogre-Scorpion Pokemon snarled, raising his stinger and preparing to thrust at Tony with it.

_"No! We need him alive!" _snapped the voice. _"And unhurt! Don't do anything to him! Just bring him back!"_

The Drapion hesitated and frowned, grumbling to himself.

Tony didn't hear the voice command the Drapion. But he saw the Scorpion's hesitation to hurt him. So, with an angry shout, he kicked it again. Hard.

The monster screamed in fury and pain as Tony's foot connected with his face again and again until...

SNAP!

A long sharp tooth dropped out of the Drapion's mouth, covered with poisonous saliva and a bit of blood on the end. It plopped the floor, kicked out of its owner's mouth.

The Drapion stared down at his fallen fang, then at Tony. He began to see red, his mouth curling into a massive frown. "DRAPION!" he roared, thrusting his face next to Tony's and showering the blonde's face with spittle and venom.

That was all the chance Tony needed. The moment he was close enough he snatched the device right from Drapion's ear. "I'll take that!" he said, giving the Drapion one last kick in the face, this time with both feet.

Drapion howled, losing his grip of Tony who fell to the floor and swiftly scurried away. "Get him, Katie!" he screamed as the beast took chase.

"You know what to do, Athena!" shouted Katie.

Athena nodded, shooting at Drapion and nailing him in the already wounded face with a nasty Drill Peck before he could react. The Drapion crashed to the ground with a snarl. Before he could stand up, however, Lucky floated above him and blasted him with a Silver Wind attack, mixed with a dose of Tochu's spores for good measure. Within seconds the Drapion was snoozing soundly.

Meanwhile, Ryder and Rizar were fighting against Aradios, but the fight was not going too well. The Ariados's unseen trainer was giving orders to her, and the camera allowed her trainer to see and hear what was happening and give instructions at a moment's notice. However, Tony's actions had inspired Ryder, and he came up with a plan quickly.

"Rizar!" he said. "Use Psychic and snatch that camera away!"

"Espe!" agreed Rizar, glowing with a bright light. Using his mental powers he swiftly tugged the camera off of the Ariados, and Ryder grabbed it out of the air.

"Got it!" Ryder announced.

The Ariados was enraged, breaking into a hissy fit of shrieks and hissed. She quickly summed up the situation and realized she was out numbered and had no trainer to be her second pair of eyes. With an angry hiss she shot a blob of webbing from her mouth, sticking it to the ceiling and swinging over the kids and their Pokemon, landing next to the fallen Drapion. She swiftly cast a net of webbing onto her ally and hauled him off, shrieking and cursing in Pokemon speech.

Tony gave a gasp of relief. "We did it..." he said, breathlessly.

Katie fell to the floor. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh..." she gasped. "What was that about? What did they want?"

"I think they wanted me..." Tony said.

"Oh, come on, Tony, it's not all about you!" Katie said, returning her Pokemon to their Pokeballs.

"I know, but that Drapion... He looked like he wanted to hurt me, but he couldn't, like he needed me alive for some reason..." Tony said. He looked down at Lucky and Tochu. They were both bruised, but fine. "Good job, guys. Thanks a lot," he said, returning them to their Pokeballs.

Ryder did the same for Rizar. "Good job, boy," he said. He turned to Tony and grinned. "You handled yourself pretty well ina fight," he said. "Quite impressive." He shook Tony's hand. "I'm Ryder, like I said. Ryder Ralph."

"Tony Miller," Tony said. "Nice to meet ya."

Ryder nodded. "Say, weren't you-?"

"That guy from the news, yeah," Tony said. "Oh, and this is Katie. She was in the news too, I think."

"Hiya!" Katie said, waving. "Nice Eeveelutions!"

Ryder beamed. "Yeah, they're the only Pokemon that I train. But that's beside the point." He looked down at the small camera in his hand. "This thing was attached to the Ariados. What about the Drapion?"

Tony nodded, holding up an identical device. "It looks like a camera, but it has something that looks like an earphone on it. I think that whoever trained those Pokemon used it to give them orders and see what was happening - without actually having to show his or her face."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," Ryder said with a nod. "You said that it looked like they were after you. What would they want you for? Do you think they were sent by Team Rocket?"

"I don't think so..." Tony said. "Everytime I fought Team Rocket, they just tried to kill me, not kidnap me."

"Maybe you have a filthy rich relative that they want to ransom you for!" Katie said.

Tony sweatdropped awkwardly. "Me? A rich relative? You're so crazy, Katie."

Katie frowned. "Why does every boy I meet say that...?"

"So what do we do?" asked Ryder.

Tony looked at the camera. "Let's head back to Vermillion and go see the police and explain what happened," he said. "Maybe they can help."

Katie sighed. "Ooh, but what if they make us stay at the station until things get cleared up! I'm hungry and it's late!"

"Come on, Katie," Tony said as they made their way to the exit of the cave. "Maybe they'll have some donuts and coffee at the station for you."

And so, the two teens with their new friend, left the caves and made their way back to Vermillion.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in Pewter City, a lone van stood by the side of the road, not ten feet from the Pewter entrance of Diglett Cave. Inside, the trainer of the Drapion and Ariados seethed as she caught sight of her Pokemon coming back - empty handed.<p>

Hunter J slammed her fist on the dashboard. "Dang it all!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Jeez, a six thousand word chapter. My poor fingers...**

**First off, I'd like to give a shout-out to a youtuber named TheJWittz, who does an awesome series called Prof-It on youtube, with awesome videos about Pokemon cards, controversies, censorships and more. I love his Lavender Town Myths video. That zombie... Man...**

**"I'm trapped. And I'm lonely. So very lonely. Won't you _join me_?"**

***Shivers* Ough...**

**Anyways, head to youtube and watch his stuff! It's pretty good!**

**Anyways, today we meet Ryder, a young man who trains Eeveelutions! We all love Eeveelutions, don't we folks? All I can say is, thank HEAVENS his name doesn't start with K or T.**

**Also, it looks like Hunter J's made her first attempt to kidnap Tony. Will she be able to get him next time around?**

**Well, that's all for this chapter! Tune in next time for Tony vs Surge Round 2!**


	32. Tony vs Surge Round 2!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**While training in Diglett Cave, Tony and Katie met Ryder, a Pokemon trainer who only uses Eeveelutions. The group was attacked by a Drapion and an Ariados, two Pokemon sent and controlled by Hunter J to capture Tony and claim her million dollar reward. However, thanks to some quick thinking and teamwork, our heroes managed to beat back the Pokemon and sent them running! Now they return to Vermillion with news, both good and bad.**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>Darkness. All it could see was darkness. A pitch black void enveloping everything.<p>

Then, air entered its lungs. A heart began to beat faster and faster. Nerves began to wake up, and the brain began to absorb and feed information to the rest of the body.

Its three-fingered hands began to twitch, and finally clenched into fists. Its toes curled, and its tailed began to slowly wave left to right. An eye stirred, and then the other. Finally they opened, two violet orbs staring out into the world.

It couldn't see anything at first. It simply sat there, or floated there, in a tube filled with some sort of liquid. A device was attached to its face so it could breath, along with several other tubes and devices all over its body. The tube was warm, but it was empty.

A million different questions shot though its mind all at once. _Who am I? Where am I? What's going on? What do I feel?_

Suddenly, something moved. Something alive. A creature stood close to the tank, staring back at him. He began to speak, but the creature didn't understand what he was saying, though it was likely that you will:

"Is it stable?"

"It is, sir. It's alive."

"Heart is beating... Lungs are pumping air... Brainwaves are registered. It's alive."

"Ooh, that's an ugly little freak... Can it hear us?"

"It can. So don't call it names."

"I wasn't talking about it. I was talking about you."

"Be quiet, Reeds."

The tallest of them stepped forward, staring hard.

The creature felt its head begin to hum. Some strange kind of force was working through its brain. It felt natural - like it needed to be used.

"There was a spike in the brainwaves, sir."

"It's awakening its mental powers... Just like any Psychic-Type. Everything it will ever know will be absorbed from the mind of another. You should all be honored - you're giving this creature it's very first lessons in life. The experiences it will remember forever, that will shape what it will become in the future."

The "mental powers" were working all right - but the creature didn't want them to.

Images of evil filled its head. Greed, lust for power, selfishness, jealousy, avarice, self-obsession... And hate. Hate was very strong. One thought sang throughout the head of one of them. Someone with black hair that hung down her head like a hood. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy.

The creature closed his eyes, terrified.

"...Reeds. Leave."

"Aww, but I want to help shape the little abomination too!"

"I don't care. Leave."

"You're no fun, Gio!"

The creature felt the thoughts of hated and blissful sadism leave, travelling far, far away until they became a distant echo of a thought.

The leader of the creatures strode forward, placing his hand on the tank. The creature slowly opened his eye and stared at him, confused and scared.

The man gave an unpleasent smile. Greed and satisfaction echoed throughout him.

"Welcome to the world... Mewtwo..."

* * *

><p>Tony scowled as he tapped his finger impatiently on the desk. He gazed at the clock. 5:45 AM. He gave a bored yawn, wishing he hadn't woken up. Staying the night in the Police Headquarters was not his idea of fun.<p>

Last night at 9:00 PM, Tony had arrived with Katie and their new friend Ryder, telling the police what had happened back at Diglett Cave. They showed them the cameras they had taken, and the the local Officer Jenny sent a few officers armed with Growlithe to investigate the caves. They came back after finding signs of battle, and the Drapion's lost fang on the ground. After taking a DNA test with it (yes they have DNA tests for Pokemon), by using the dried blood that was left on it, they concurred that the Pokemon in was fact a Drapion. So, hearing Tony's theory that they were after him, Officer Jenny decided to keep Tony in the Police Department for the evening, just so they could keep an eye on him. Katie and Ryder headed back to the Pokemon Center to tell the others what had happened, while Tony got to stay the night and make a phone call to Aunt Sally. Oh, that had been fun. Try contacting any loved one from the police station, and see how they react.

Naturally, Tony ended up falling asleep - as did his guards. Eventually he woke up at four, but was all alone in the station. There weren't even any donuts left.

Officer Jenny was fast asleep, leaning back in her chair with her shoes up on her desk as she snoozed away. The officer who was responsible for helping keep an eye on him was also asleep, slumped over in a small pile of Pokemon Cards that he had been playing with. Tony sighed, bored out of his skull. He couldn't wake up his Pokemon either - he had given them to Katie to take to the Pokemon Center, so they could have their wounds healed, not to mention that they needed some sleep badly after all they had been through. Tony wished _he_ could go back to sleep, but he couldn't. He wasn't feeling tired. His mind was still whirling about everything that had happened. Diglett Cave, meeting Ryder, fighting off those two Pokemon... Losing Alph...

Tony sighed. _No,_ he thought. _I can't keep moping about it. I'll find another Bug-Type sooner or later. Katie was right._

He began to tap his finger impatiently again, wishing he could leave already. Eventually the clock struck 6:00, and Officer Jenny's watch began to beep loudly.

"Mmm... Hmm? What?" The green haired woman opened her eyes and switched her alarm off. "Oogh..." she groaned as she stood up. "Sleeping on a chair... Not nice..." She gave her back a stretch.

"Morning..." Tony said boredly.

"Oh! Morning!" Jenny said. "I forgot you were here!" She turned to the othercop and shook them roughly. "Wake up, wake up! You're on guard duty, remember?"

"Ugh..." the male cop said, waking up. He sat up with his face covered with Pokemon cards stuck to it. He shook his head, the cards falling down to the table. "Aww, jeez..." he said. "It's just after five! Can't we sleep some more?"

"No!" Jenny snapped. "We're on guard duty!"

"You were asleep, too..." Tony muttered quietly.

It didn't take long for all three of the cops to be awake, though they were all still quite groggy and unhappy.

"Oough..." Jenny moaned. "Coffee... I need coffee... Joe, go out and get some."

"I thought we were on guard duty!" Joe said incredulously.

"How can you expect us to guard him if we're too tired and hungry to keep our eyes open!" Jenny shouted. "I'll take one of of those caramel frappe things... Ooh, and bring back a dozen donuts."

Joe grumbled to himself as he stood up. "Fine..." he said, walking to the door.

"Can I go now?" Tony asked.

"Nope!" Jenny said. "Can't let you leave! Your aunt wants you to wait here until your guardian comes!"

Tony sighed. Aunt Sally had been hysterical when she heard the news. Three attempts specifically against Tony had been made now, and she was becoming quite terrified for the young man. So, she had requested Jenny to keep an eye on him until she sent an adult to come and keep an eye on him. Tony felt very unhappy with the situation. He loved his aunt to death, but sitting inside a boring police station all night was a grim prospect.

"Can you get me a...?" he began just as Joe ran out. However, the police officer didn't hear him. Tony groaned, his stomach growling unhappily. He hadn't had any dinner last night due to having to stay at the station. The police had already eaten all the take-out by the time they had arrived. Ryder and Katie got to go back to the center for dinner while he had to stay there, hungry and bored.

Tony stood up. "Are you sure I can't just go on a quick walk?" he asked.

"Nope," Jenny said, plopping down on her chair. She gestured to the window. "It's raining Meowth and Growlithe out there!" she said.

It was. Rain heavily pelted the earth, soaking the ground and sidewalks. The low rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Still, Tony would prefer to be outside than trapped inside the station.

"Are you sure?" he asked, feeling desperate.

Jenny rolled her eyes, frustrated. "Look," she said, a little harshly, "you are not going anywhere until your guardian arrives, and that is final!"

The door to the police station opened. "No need to get angry, miss," said a raspy voice. "I'm here!"

Tony grinned as the old man walked in, closing his umbrella. "Pappy!" he said, happily. Aunt Sally had sent his sort of grandfather to keep an eye on him. "This is my grandpa," he told Jenny. "Well... Sort of my grandpa..."

Pappy grinned, wiping a hand through his wet, white hair. "Heya, kiddo," he said. "Stayin' out of trouble, I see."

"Naturally," Tony said with a grin. "How's Aunt Sally?"

"Terrified for yer safety, kiddo," Pappy said. "You know how she is. But she's right! You need to take better care of yerself!"

"I know..." Tony sighed. He really did wish that danger stopped finding him wherever he went. "So," he said, turning to Jenny, "now can I go?"

Jenny eyed the old man suspiciously. "How do I know you're _really_ his grandfather?" she asked. "What's your real name?" she demanded.

"Pappy," Pappy said, simply.

"No, I mean your real name."

"Just. Pappy," Pappy said through gritted teeth.

Jenny took a step back, surprised. She gave Tony a questioning look.

Tony smiled sheepishly. "He's a little shy about his real name..." he explained. "He doesn't like to share it much."

Pappy pulled out his driver's license. "How about this?" he asked, showing it to Jenny.

Jenny took the license, looking it over. She raised an eyebrow. "You actually have Pappy for your name on your license?" she asked, skeptical.

Pappy nodded. "Gotta problem with that?" he asked.

"No!" Jenny said, trying to avoid confrontation. "No, that's fine... Uh, lemme see, Pappy Miller. Okay then, you check out!" she said with an awkward grin. "You're free to go!" she said, seeing that he was who he said he was.

"Thank you," Pappy said. "Come on, Tony, let's go."

"Back to the Pokemon Center?" asked Tony.

"Of course not!" Pappy said, opening the door. "I drove all the way down here to pick you up without getting any breakfast! Let's find a diner and get the early bird special."

Whistling loudly, Pappy closed the door, heading to the car.

"So... Uh..." Jenny said. "What is his real name?"

Tony laughed. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Jenny blinked. "Is that a threat?" she asked, her hand moving down to her handcuffs.

Tony jumped back, eager to avoid another night in the station. "Maurice! His name is Maurice!"

"I heard that!" snapped Pappy from outside.

Tony groaned. "Gotta go, bye!" he said, hurrying out the door to apologize to Pappy.

Jenny sighed. "His name is Maurice? I think my great aunt is named Maurice..."

* * *

><p>It didn't take long to find a diner. Pappy was quite fond of diners - especially the one Sally was employed at - and always was able to find them. The <em>Pidgey's Nest<em> was one such diner.

They had made it to the early bird special. The diner was everything Pappy had hoped it to be. Friendly waitresses, clean floors, and a jukebox. Pappy popped in a few coins, turned on some classic rock, and sat down with Tony. They were the first ones there, so they got their orders pretty fast. Tony ordered some chocolate chip pancakes, while Pappy ordered an omelette with peppers, cheese, and onions, along with black coffee - a man's drink.

The two ate and ate, and talked and talked. Pappy was quite interested in hearing how Tony's journey was going. Tony was kept talking all the time, except when he took a bite of his pancakes. He told Pappy all about his battle with Brock in greater detail, and his first failed attempt with Surge as well. Pappy nodded with sympathy. When Pappy had gone on his own journey, decades ago, and he too had faced an electric Gym Leader in Vermillion - and as you might know, Pappy is a fisherman. He trains Water-Type Pokemon, and nothing else. He would have been absolutely devastated had his Krabby had not been able to use Dig, along with some Mud Sport for good measure.

"Yer a smart kid, Tony," Pappy said, after swallowing another bite of his eggs. "Teachin' Tochu Dig was a smart move."

Tony nodded. "Yeah, it was. I hope it will work. I don't know if I can beat Surge without..."

Pappy sighed. "I'm sorry about Alph, kiddo," he said. "But..."

"If he doesn't want to be on my team then it's his problem," Tony finished. "Don't worry, I got the speech from Katie already." He sighed. "Don't... Don't worry. I'll managed. I'm... Just a little bit doubtful." He shook his head. "But that's not why you came down here. You came down here to protect me from... whoever is after me."

"I did," Pappy said. "Any idea who it could be?"

"It might be Team Rocket..." Tony said. "But I've never heard of them using devices that let them control their Pokemon from a distance... Besides, if Team Rocket wanted me dead those Pokemon could've killed me! They had the chance! If they were sent by Team Rocket, why didn't they just kill me? They looked like they wanted to take me somewhere.

Pappy silently ate another fork-full of eggs, looking away from Tony.

Tony blinked. "Pappy...?" he began. "Is there something you know?"

Pappy sighed. "I'm sorry, kiddo," he said. "I... I promised Sally I'd keep it a secret."

"Keep what a secret?" Tony demanded.

"Yer mother..." Pappy said. "She came to our house, after you left."

Tony blinked. "She... She what...?" he whispered.

"She said she wanted you back," Pappy explained. "And that she was gonna take you back. She showed up at the hotel in Cerulean City, too. Told Sally that you'd be coming back to her whether she liked it or not."

Tony blinked. "Why?" he demanded, keeping his voice low. He didn't want to shout anything sensitive. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sally... She didn't want you to worry," Pappy explained. "And... she didn't want you to hide, and give up your dreams, just because of yer mother."

Tony blinked, the words sinking in. Why? Why would Anna be looking for him? Why would Anna want him back? She left him at his aunt and uncle's for over seven years and never so much as sent a letter until recently. Now all the sudden, she wanted him back?

"What does she want?" he asked.

"..."

"Pappy, please!"

Pappy sighed. "She was angry," he said. "She was angry with your aunt - for letting you fight Team Rocket twice."

"But that wasn't her fault," Tony protested. "I chose to fight Team Rocket - me! - not Aunt Sally."

"I know," Pappy said. "She felt that Sally was responsible for it - and that you were... endangered."

Tony blinked. Endangerd. Anna thought he was... in danger? Why on heaven or earth would she care? She left him! Why was she so worried?

"She... she can't actually be _worried_ about me," Tony said.

"Oh, naturally," Pappy said.

They were very quiet for a few minutes. They poked at their food, ordered a refill for Tony's juice, but other than that they were mostly quiet. But a nagging thought began to grow in Tony's mind. Could Anna actually be... worried? He shook his head fiercely. No. Anna didn't care about him. She didn't care about anyone except for herself.

Still...

Pappy put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Hey," he said. "Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine. Your aunt has Wattson to protect her, and your uncle is coming back in a few days. Besides, you're a trainer now. You don't need to worry about Anna - just worry about your badges."

Tony sighed. "Alright," he said. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. There's no way I'm going back to... her."

"Good," Pappy said. "If she comes along, I'll take care of her myself!" He made a kung-fu gesture with his hands.

Tony laughed, the situation still rather dire, but not without hope. He lost a Pokemon, and his mother was seemingly looking for him, but he'd just have to move on. No use in being depressed. After all, he didn't want anything to interfere with his battle with Surge. Besides, his mother had no part in his life now - and that was her choice, not Tony's. She had left him, and if she wanted him back, well, that was just too bad.

"Oh, look," Pappy said. "There are your friends."

Tony turned his head to see Tayuyu run by the diner window. After a second, she came back, her eyes filled with surprise and anger. She was soaked from head to toe, her red hair stuck to her face. She was breathing heavily, likely meaning she had run the whole way - and here Tony and Pappy were, sitting inside a nice, warm, dry diner, eating pancakes and eggs!

Tayuyu yelled something to someone and bolted for the door to the diner. In seconds, Tayuyu, along with Kirby, Katie, Kelly, Kevin and Ryder entered the diner, all of them soaked to the bone.

"Hey," Tony said, not able to help being cheeky. "You know, it's raining outside."

"'You know, it's raining outside'," mimicked an unhappy Tayuyu. "Where have you been?" she demanded. "We've been running around like Doduo with our heads cut off! You were supposed to be at the police station!"

"Well, I got hungry!" Tony protested.

"Did you save anything for me?" Katie asked, hopefully.

Tony blinked. "Uh... Oh, hey, did you meet Ryder?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah," Ryder said, running a hand through his soaked violet hair. "They did. Nice guys."

"You really should've called us, Tony," said Kirby. "We were worried about you."

"I was up at five A.M.!" Tony protested. "Nurse Joy wouldn't be awake to take your call!"

Kelly groaned. "Excuses, excuses... Hey, why's Pappy here? Is your aunt here too?" She grinned. "Did she bring more lasagna?" she asked, practically drooling.

"No, it's just me," Pappy said. "Oh, and no lasagna - though she did give me a tin of her home-made cookies for later."

"Oh, right!" Tony said, remembering that not everyone had met his Pappy yet. "This is my Pappy!" he told Kevin and Ryder.

"Hey," Kevin said.

"Hiya," Ryder said with a nod.

"Hello there," Pappy said, eying the two boys. "Hmm... Black-belt, eh?" he asked Kevin.

"Yes," Kevin answered, his voice neutral.

Pappy grinned. "Heh-heh, I used to be a black-belt! Ah, those were the days! Forth degree black-belt, most masculine boy in the dojo, apple of the eyes of every pretty lass in Cerulean!"

"Please no," whispered Kelly, dreading another long story from Pappy about his childhood. The others felt dread sinking in as well; something told them that this could take a while, and, well, they had places to be and things to do.

"Hey!" Katie said, snapping her fingers, and saving Kelly's ears. "I just remembered something!" She reached into her backpack and pulled out two Pokeballs. "Here ya go!" she said, tossing them to Tony. "It's Lucky and Tochu!"

"Oh, thanks!" said a very relieved Tony. It felt very odd not to have his Pokemon with him. He swiftly snatched his Pokeballs back, and opened them.

Lucky and Tochu appeared in a duo of scarlet flashes. Lucky swiftly flitted over to Tony and hugged him, chattering adorably.

"H-hey!" Tony laughed as the Butterfree snuggled against his chest. "I missed you too, girl, but it was only one night! How you feel?"

"Bree!" Lucky said, feeling quite healthy and strong. Yesterday's battle was a good test of her skills. She felt stronger, faster, and better than ever.

Tony grinned and petted Lucky. "Good girl," he said. "How about you, Tochu?"

Tochu felt good... sort of. He felt stronger and all, but something was bothering him. His skin felt a little tight today, like he was wearing a sweater that was too small for him. Still, his claws felt stronger, and he was ready to fight again. "Para," he said, ready to face Surge once more.

"Hey," Tayuyu said, looking over Tony's Pokemon. "There's only two... Where's Alph?"

Tony looked over to Katie. "You didn't tell them?"

Katie sighed. "Sorry, the showdown with a homicidal scorpion kinda made me forget."

Tony sighed. "Alph left," he said plainly.

The kids were silent for a second, most of them shocked, but Ryder just wondering who Alph was supposed to be.

"Wha-?" Kelly managed to say.

"He didn't like being my Pokemon, I guess," Tony said, glumly. "I think it has something to do with me losing to Surge, and probably that he got really hurt when I fought Brock and Misty too."

Tayuyu blinked. Then, she scowled, her anger finding a new target. "Why that spidery little traitor!" she snapped.

"I can't believe Alph would actually do something like that!" Kirby said, equally angered.

Even Kelly was unhappy - that Spinarak could have been useful for Team Rocket. "You should've returned him to his Pokeball," she said. "A little time stuck in there by himself would teach him a lesson!"

Tony rolled his eyes, sighing. "That's not that way I do things, Kelly," he said. "Besides," he added, cutting off another argument from Kirby. "If Alph doesn't want to train with me, then that's his choice."

"Heh," Katie said, whispering to Kelly. "I said that. Me. That was my sage advice, thank you very much."

"It's not sage," muttered Kelly. "It's idiotic."

Katie glared at the silver-head and stuck out her tongue.

Tony groaned. "Look, can we not talk about he?" he asked. "Let's... Let's just go take on Surge, again, okay?"

"Bree!" Lucky chirped, flitting on top of Tony's head.

"Para!" Tochu said.

Tony stood up and returned Tochu to his Pokeball, leaving Lucky out as per usual, and putting on his determined face. "Let's go!" he said.

"But... It's raining!" Ryder said.

"So?" Tony said. "You guys are already soaked, that shouldn't matter."

Kelly growled. "If I wasn't in crutches I would so take you down right now."

"Hey," Kevin said. "I'm not."

With lightning fast reflexes he grabbed Tony. "H-hey!" Tony said. "Let me go!"

"Not until you pay for making us run around in the rain like that!" Kevin said, grinning.

"What are you gonna do?" asked Kirby, worried for Tony's safety.

"You know..." Ryder said, thinking about it. "This place has a slanted roof... The rain is rolling off of it like a waterfall..." He gave a grin. "Hint, hint."

"Not a bad idea..." Tayuyu said.

"H-hey!" Tony said as the teens dragged him off. "Help! Katie!"

Katie was sitting at the table, finishing up Tony's chocolate chip pancakes. "Sohry, Tmhy!" she said through a full mouth. "I'mh humhgry!"

"Pappy! Gimme a hand! HEEEEEEELP!"

The door to the diner opened and shut with a ding. The surprised staff stared at Pappy, who was still sitting in his booth while his sort of-grandson got a brutal soaking outside.

Pappy shrugged. "Shouldn't have told the cops mah name... Check please!"

* * *

><p>Seven A.M. Or, as Lt. Surge called it, Seven Hundred Hours. The sun had risen, but was hidden behind a shroud of black clouds. Thunder was rumbling in the distance, and the rain was still falling heavily, splashing in the puddles.<p>

Surge ran a hand through his hair as he unlocked the door to the to his gym, whistling to himself. He pocketed his keys, and gripped the handle.

SPLOOSH.

Surge blinked. That was no raindrop. That was a footstep. Or multiple footsteps. Who was out walking in this weather?

He turned his head to see them round the corner. Tony Miller, soaking wet, and walking towards him, Lucky flitting by his shoulder. Following close behind, was his friends, along with an old man and some kid with purple hair he'd never seen before. They were all walking in unison, one straight line, heading right towards him. If Surge didn't know who most of them were, he'd think his gym was being invaded or something.

He grinned as they approached, giving Tony a knowing look. "Hey, now," he said. "You're back. Sooner than I expected, too."

"Yup," Tony said. "I am."

"Yeah," said Surge, surveying the situation. "That was pretty awesome, by the way, that whole straight line thing. You looked pretty cool."

"Are you here to compliment the epic way we march, or to get your butt kicked!" taunted Katie.

Surge grinned. "If memory serves, I've been the only one to do any butt-kicking around here recently. Alright," he said to Tony. "I'll take you on! Show me what you've got, kid!"

"I will," Tony said, returning the grin. "And then some."

"Good," Surge said. "Now come on inside... for Pete's sake, kid, you're soaked."

"Yeah," Tony said. "I wonder who's fault that is?"

"Hey, you had it coming," Kelly said.

"You know, it's not my fault you guys didn't bring umbrellas," Tony retorted. "Let's get my badge so I can go back to the Pokemon Center and take a nice, warm shower."

Surge held open the door. "Come on in," he said. "Let's see what you've learned..."

* * *

><p>Pappy stood on the podium in the center of the field. The referee wasn't at work yet, namely due to trainers usually challenging the gym in the late afternoon. He toook off his cap and waved it like a flag. "The Gym Battle between Tony Miller of Pallet Town and Lt. Surge of Vermillion City will now commence! Two on two, no substitutions, and the first to two knock-outs is the winner! As the challenger, Tony gets the first attack!"<p>

Tony nodded, determined, Lucky by his side. His friends all took their seats, ringing out their soaked clothes. "Tochu, you're up!" he shouted, unleashing the Paras in a flash.

Tochu fell to the battlefield, his legs trembling. He didn't have fond memories of the last time he had been here.

"Those who fail history are doomed to repeat it!" said Surge. "Go, Voltorb!"

Voltorb emerged and face down his foe, a cocky look on his...face? "Vol!"

"Alright, Tony, go!" cheered Katie as Kirby pulled out the camera.

"Good luck!" Ryder called.

"Hey, why are you here?" asked Tayuyu. "I mean, you just me Tony yesterday."

"He's probably checking out the competition," said Kevin, folding his arms behind his head as he got ready to watch the match.

"I am not!" protested Ryder. "I just didn't have anything better to do! Besides, I happen to enjoy a good Pokemon fight. People say to learn from your mistakes - and I don't make any, so I'm gonna learn from Tony's!"

"Egotist..." muttered Tayuyu.

"Shut up!" Kelly said. "They're starting!"

"Alright, Tochu, Spore!" Tony ordered.

"Para!" Tochu said, shaking his mushrooms and creating a cloud of green smoke.

"This again?" Surge muttered to himself. "Voltorb, Rollout!"

"Vol!" buzzed Voltor, shooting right towards Alph in what seemed to be a repeat of previous events.

"Heh." Tony grinned as Voltorb drew closer to his frightened Paras. "I hate re-runs. Tochu, you know what to do!"

Tochu nodded, leaping up into the air and spinning like an orange drill. He plowed into the ground, burrowing his way towards the charging Voltorb.

Surge realized too late what was happening. "Wait! Voltorb-!"

"Para!" Tochu shouted as he burst out of the ground, striking Voltorb with a super-effective attack.

"Vol!" buzzed Voltorb, falling to the ground in agony.

"Now, try Slash!" Tony said.

"Sonic Boom!" Surge ordered his Voltorb.

"VOOOOOOOOOL!" screeched Voltorb, striking Tochu with a powerful sonic blast. However, it was not nearly strong enough to keep Tochu from striking him hard with a fierce swipe of his claws, sending the Voltorb flying.

"Voltorb!" cried out Surge. "You still awake?"

"V-Vol..." Voltorb groaned.

"Not for long!" Tony taunted. "Alph! Bullet Seed!" he ordered, quickly realizing that an attack from a distance would be better in this case.

"Para!" Alph cried, unleashing volley after volley of energized seeds from his mandibles, striking Voltorb repeatedly.

"V-Vol!" groaned Voltorb, falling back. He was down.

"No!" Surge shouted. "Voltorb!"

"Voltorb is unable to battle!" Pappy said proudly. "The winner of the first round is Tony Miller from Pallet Town and Tochu!"

"Good job, Tochu!" Tony shouted. "I think we've... Tochu?"

Kirby leaned forward in his seat, catching everything on camera.

A white glow was emanating from Parasect, his orange skin becoming very dull. The Paras didn't know what was happening either. But this skin was too tight, and it was driving him crazy!

CRACK.

The skin on his face cracked open. The crack slowly travelled down his back, slowly splitting the skin down the center of his body. Before anyone could say anything, there was a bright flash, and the skin completely split in half.

Tochu was changing. His blue eyes became pure white. His claws grew longer and longer. His skin color deepened, and his mushrooms fused into one huge mushroom. With a bright flash of red, it was all over.

The audience gasped in unison.

"Para? Sect?"

Tony blinked. "Tochu... You've... You've evolved!"

Tochu had indeed evolved. He was no longer a Paras - now, he was a Parasect. The second form of Paras. He looked over himself, amazed. He was a Parasect now, like the elder from his old swarm. He couldn't believe it. He gave his larger claws an experimental flex. He could feel the strength flowing through his veins. Each claw felt stronger, and he felt more powerful than ever, like he could take on a Sandshrew - no, a hundred Sandshrews! A hundred big Sandshrews... and one midsized Sandslash, too!

Tony whipped out his Pokedex. **"Parasect, the Mushroom Pokemon, and the evolved form of Paras. Now fully evolved, Paras has grown very little now that it is Parasect - the mushroom, however, has grown a great deal, having also absorbed the experience that the host Parasect has. Now, it's poisoned spores and powders are much more effective, and the mushroom itself is very heavy, making it good for physical attacks."**

"Alright, Tochu!" shouted Tony. "You did it!"

"P...Paras! Parasect!" Tochu said. (I... I did! I'm amazing!)

Lucky cocked her head to the side. "Butterfree..." (You look weird...)

Tochu fell over. "Parasect?!" (I look weird?! She thinks I look weird! Awwww...)

Surge slowly clapped for his opponent. "Hmph... Not bad, kid, not bad. But it won't save you from this!" He pulled out another Pokeball, opening it. "Time for you to face my powerhouse! Go, Raichu!"

In a brilliant flash, a dark yellowish orange Pokemon appeared, its yellow cheeks sparking with electricity. "Raichu!" he shouted, lightning flashing from his body.

**"Raichu," **the Pokedex said. **"The Thunder Mouse Pokemon, and the evolved form of Pikachu. One of the most powerful Electric-Types available to standard trainers, Raichu is the final form of Pikachu, and only will reach this form if exposed to the energies of a Thunderstone. It can produce 100,000 volts of electricity. It's power is so strong that it must stick its tail into the ground when it attacks with its electric attacks to prevent being shocked by its own attack. This specimen is male, roughly seven years old, and knows the moves Thundershock, Thunder Wave, Slam and Double Team. It's special ability is Static."**

Tony swallowed. He knew all about Surge's Raichu. This Raichu was a legend among Raichu, well known around the Kanto League. It was very, very strong, and very fond of paralyzing foes, leaving them defenseless against its flurry of lightning fast attacks. Hopefully Tochu's resistance to electricity would pull him through. He had to play this one safe - he couldn't afford to have Lucky face Surge, with her huge disadvantage.

Surge smirked, noting the boy's hesitation. "Ball's in your court," he said, cracking his knuckles.

"Bullet Seed, Tochu!" Tony ordered.

The new Parasect managed to recover from the knowledge that his crush thought he looked weird now, and raised his claws and spat out a volley of seeds, his new strength sending them further and faster than ever.

"Double Team, Raichu!" ordered Surge.

The Raichu moved with great speed for one his size, shooting to the right with lightning fast reflexes. Tochu's attack sailed harmlessly by, clattering against the wall of the arena. Tochu fired another volley, but the Raichu shot off again and again, circling the Parasect in a flash. In mere seconds, Raichu was circling so fast that it appeared to be not one, but four Raichu, all leering at Tochu as he struggled to keep up. Paras and Parasect were not renowned for their great speed, and this huge mushroom on his back wasn't helping.

Tony gritted his teeth. Surge used speed as a weapon. In the last fight he took Tony out before he could react, and if he didn't do something now, history would repeat itself, just like he said.

"Now!" Surge ordered. "Slam!"

One of the Raichu shot towards Tochu, the illusionary doubles vanishing.

"Tochu! Spore!" Tony shouted.

Tochu raised his claws, a huge cloud of spores exploding about him.

"Raichu!" Surge ordered. "Pull out!" he commanded. He didn't want to risk his Pokemon falling asleep.

Raichu cursed in his own language as he came to a halt, swiftly jumping back from the cloud.

"Bullet Seed!" ordered Tony.

Another volley of seeds erupted from Tochu, shooting right for Raichu. Sadly, he was prepared, and Surge was ready with his order.

"Double Team, then Thundershock!" the soldier shouted.

"Rai!" Raichu shouted, swiftly dodging the attack again. His cheeks sparked with energy and unleashed a powerful blast of electricity, striking Tochu.

"Seeeect!" Tochu shouted, hitting the ground with a puff of spores. His mushroom looked slightly blackened, and his claws were twitching.

"Now, immobilize him with Thunder Wave!" ordered Surge.

"Chu!" Raichu said, electricity sparking at his cheeks once more. He stuck his tail into the ground and released a burst of sparks towards Tochu.

"Dig, Tochu!" Tony shouted.

"Sect!" Tochu said, spinning his body like a drill and plowing once more into the earth. The Thunder Wave barely missed him, crackling harmlessly on the ground.

"Raichu, keep on your toes!" Surge shouted. "Double Team!"

Raichu gritted his teeth as he began to hop around the field, eager to avoid Tochu's attack. He quickly became a blurr of movement again, too fast to hit.

Tony scowled. He had been fighting for five minutes now, and he had yet to land a hit, while Surge had been able to hit him. Raichu was blindingly fast, and Surge could give rapid orders, but he couldn't do anything to Tochu while he was underground.

Tony grinned. An idea popped up in his brain.

"Tochu!" he shouted into one of the tunnels. "Dig your way over there!" He pointed behind Raichu.

"Sect...?" Tochu asked, confused.

"Trust me!" Tony said. "I have a good plan... I think."

Tochu shrugged and did as he was told, burrowing underneath the confused Raichu and bursting out of the ground behind him.

"Now get back in and do it over there!" Tony ordered, pointing to the left side of Raichu.

Tochu burst out from the ground, crawling by a confused Raichu and digging into the ground again.

"Raichu!" moaned Surge. "Don't just stand there! Do something!"

Raichu gave Surge a cynical look. "Rai chu?" (Like what?)

"I dunno," Surge said. "Just... keep using Double Team, and Thundershock that sucker when he comes out of that hole!"

Tochu, who was just about to pop out of the hole, heard what Surge said and swiftly ducked back under shivering, not wanting another Thundershock to the 'shroom.

"Tochu!" Tony shouted. "Dig over there and make a hole, but you don't have to come out yet!"

"P-Para!" Tochu shouted, tunneling underneath Raichu once more, who was angry that his foe wasn't showing himself.

"Alright!" Tony cheered. "You're good! Use Spore from inside the tunnel!

"Sect!" Tochu called from inside the hole.

With a POOF! a huge cloud of spores erupted from the four holes. It was then the confusion of the audience faded away, realizing what Tony had done. Four holes, all connected by tunnels, now surrounded Raichu, and all of the holes were spewing clouds of spores, creating an effective cage of sleeping powders that surrounded his foe. He couldn't jump about like that now, without landing in a cloud of sleeping spores, and if he did he'd pass out in an instant.

Raichu came to a halt. "Rai! Chu!" he shouted angrily.

"What the-?" Surge stuttered. "Where are you?!"

"Looks like he wants a fight," Tony said, quietly. "Let's give him one. Alright, Tochu, use Dig on Raichu!"

Raichu's eyes widened in horror as the ground beneath him began to shift and finally exploded, dirt and rubble spewing over him as Tochu's body slammed into him, sending him flying to the ground.

"Raichu, Thundershock!" Surge shouted, realizing that the dodging game was over - there was no way to dodge Tochu's attacks at this range. He knew that now it was a fight to the finish.

"Rai CHUUU!" snarled Raichu, blasting Tochu in the face with a bolt of lightning. The Parasect cried out in pain as he covered his shocked face with his claw.

"Now, Slam!" Surge ordered.

"Block it, Tochu!" Tony shouted, realizing that Surge wasn't down for the count yet, and the clouds of spores were begining to fade away. If he didn't wrap this up soon, Raichu would be able to speed about again.

Tochu raised his pincers and struggled again Raichu as the Electric Mouse slammed again and again against his now weary body. Raichu was badly hurt too, but he was still faster and angered by the Parasect. "Keep it up, Raichu!" Surge ordered. "We've got this!"

"Tochu, grab him!" Tony shouted, just as Raichu rammed the Parasect again.

"Para!" Tochu said, grabbing the Raichu by the ears with his pincers. The Raichu struggled to break free, but all he got was a sharp pain in his ears.

"Now! Bullet Seed!" Tony shouted.

"Para! Sect!" Tochu snarled, unleashing volley after volley of Bullet Seed straight into Raichu's face, until...

"Rai... Chu...!"

Tochu released Raichu's ears, as the Electric Mouse Pokemon fell back to the floor, out cold. Both Tony and Tochu gave a sigh of relief as Pappy shouted, "Raichu is unable to battle, and Surge is out of Pokemon! The winner is Tony Miller from Pallet Town!"

"We did it," Tony said, practically gasping for breath. "Good job, Tochu, you were awesome!"

"Bree ree!" Lucky cheered.

Tochu raised a pincer in acknowledgement, stumbling over to the ground. His mushroom felt insanely heavy, and his wounds were taking their toll on his tired legs. He was very grateful when Tony returned him to his Pokeball.

Surge did the same with his Raichu. "Well, I'll be..." he muttered. "Beaten by a squirt like you... Heh, well, don't that beat all?" He gave a laugh as he walked towards Tony, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a badge shaped like a lightning bolt. "Well the, here ya go! I hereby confer upon you the Thunder Badge!" He handed the badge to Tony, who eagerly accepted it.

"Hey, way to go!" cheered Katie.

"Hmm... Not bad," muttered Kelly.

"I knew he could do it!" Kirby said, before switching off the camera.

"'Bout time, too," Tayuyu agreed.

"Heh... Ty's pep talks actually work... Who knew?" Kevin said, folding his arms.

"Whoo!" cheered a very impressed Ryder. "Hey, he didn't do too bad!"

Tony looked down at the Thunder Badge in his hand, before placing it in its case with the Boulder and Cascade Badges. "Thanks," he told Surge. "Good game."

"Yup," Surge said. "You've beaten me, that's for sure. But don't get too cocky, kiddo! You'll have trouble with the other Gym Leaders - more trouble than you had with me! And ust because you beat me doesn't mean you'll win in the St. Anne!"

Tony grinned. "Maybe - but that doesn't mean I can't try!"

Surge laughed. "Ah, I like you, kid. I'm sure you'll succeed at whatever you try! Now, you'd better get your Paras - ahem, your Parasect, to the Pokemon Center!

Tony grinned, feeling proud that Tochu had evolved. His evolution would definitely help make up for Alph's absence. "Come on, guys," he said, pocketing the Parasect's Pokeball with pride. (Trying saying that three times fast.) "Let's head back to the Pokemon Center!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Heya, folks! Well, Tony's beaten Surge, he found out that his mother was looking for him, we know Pappy's real name, and Tochu finally reached his final form! A lot happened this chapter, eh? Not to mention we got to see Giovanni's master plan unfold in the creation of Mewtwo, his ultimate weapon. Will he be able to use Mewtwo as his ultimate weapon... or will Mewtwo use him? Well, we'll find out soon. **

**Well, Tochu's a Parasect now. I know that the Pokedex entries usually hint that Parasect is a mindless creature who merely does the bidding of the mushroom on its back, and you might be wondering "Hey, why is Tochu still himself and not a mushroom zombie?" Well, here's the thing: first off, in Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, when your Pokemon can follow you around and you can speak with it and see how it reacts to you, Parasect can feel happy, and they do have a happiness level. Also, in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, you can get a Parasect as a partner and later a playable character, and they speak like normal Pokemon, and not with a zombie-like tone... Although Magnemite and Kabuto do... Hmm... Oh, and third, it's my story, and thought that Tony would allow his Pokemon to become a mindless drone is a little harsh. Okay? Hope you don't mind too much.**

**Now, before I leave, I want to ask you fans a question - feel free to post the answer _after_ you review. What do you think Tony's Journey would be like if it was a creepypasta story? There's the question, now show me some answers! **

**Well, that's all for now! Tune in next time for the Preliminaries!**


	33. Preparing for the St Anne!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**After a boring night at the police station, Pappy came along to keep an eye on Tony and protect him from whoever was after him. Afterwards, the two went to a diner and Tony learned that his mother was looking for him, and wanted him back for an unknown reason. Soon, Tony met up with his friends, including new friend Ryder, and went to fight Surge again, winning his long desired Thunder Badge when Tochu evolved from Paras to a Parasect! Now, with three badges at hand, Tony prepares with his friends for the St. Anne Tournament!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>"Did you succeed?" Anna Maruko asked.<p>

It was late afternoon in Vermillion City. The sun was setting behind the storm clouds, and the sky grew darker and darker as a stormy evening approached. Anna Maruko was sitting inside the _Pidgey's Nest Diner_, wearing a pair of sunglasses, a white blouse with a red skirt, and a black wig as a disguise. Sitting right across from her, wearing the same blonde wig and coat from when they first met, was Hunter J. The two had cups of steaming coffee at hand, but they weren't at the diner for a drink. They were here for a meeting. Anna never had phone meetings - you never knew who could be listening in, and it pays to play it safe when you're working with a known thief. So, she opted instead to meet in person, and in disguise. They were both near or in Vermillion at the time, so they met in an out of the way diner, completely unaware that Tony had been sitting in that very diner mere hours ago.

"Well?" Anna pressed on.

J looked away. "There were... complications..." she admitted.

Anna growled. "Unbelievable! Simply unbelievable! I thought you were supposed to be a professional, and yet you lost! To a fourteen year old boy!"

"You didn't tell me about his friends!" snapped J. "He wasn't alone! He had at least five Pokemon with him, against my two!"

"That shouldn't matter," Anna retorted. "They are mere children - you are the adult, with experience and cunning - or so I've heard. Personally," she added snidely, "I don't see it, myself."

J gritted her teeth. "I want to know something," she said.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Why do you want this kid so bad?" demanded J.

"It's none of your concern," Anna replied, clearly not in the mood to discuss it.

"It is," snapped J, "if you want the job done. This kid managed to get away from my Drapion and my Ariados. He clearly has some semblance of skill. Not much, but some. I want to know why you're so interested in some country kid from nowhere town."

Anna scowled. "It is none of your concern," she repeated. "You don't have to worry about why I want him - you should be worried about what will happen if I _don't_ get him. I have my contact on speed dial, you know." She gave J a glance that dared her to argue.

J took that dare. "Well, then," she seethed, "could you be gracious enough to give me some information maybe?"

"Information?" Anna asked. "What could you need?"

"A list of known Pokemon, friends, family, enemies, the like," J said.

Anna was unimpressed. "Are you serious?"

"Look," J snapped, "hunting people is not my forte. I hunt Pokemon. I find out who owns said rare Pokemon. I take it from him or her. Now, I find myself hunting a human, who is not my usual quarry. I want his friends, I want his family, and I want his Pokemon all on paper. I want to know who he'll run to when he's scared. I want to know what he'll send at me if he gets cornered. Give me that - or no deal. I'll find my way back to Hoenn or Sinnoh and start again there."

Anna gritted her teeth. "Very well," she said. "I'll email you the information that you want - but do not fail me again. I do not like giving second chances."

With that, Anna stood up and walked away, leaving J alone in the booth.

J growled as the woman left the diner. "Witch... She left me to pay the bill, too..." Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of the waitress, looking at her oddly. "And what are _you_ looking at?!" J snapped.

The waitress scurried away, and J begrudgingly drop a few bills on the table before walking off.

_So... She doesn't want to tell me? Well, that's just fine, _she thought, angrily. _She's not the only with contacts._

* * *

><p>A bright new morning shone over Vermillion City, the dawn of a new day. The storm clouds had faded, but the ground remained soaked and muddy. But that didn't matter. Today, the applications for the St. Anne were out and ready to be signed by the hopeful champions of tomorrow, who stood in a huge line awaiting their turn to sign up. This was the chance everybody had been waiting for, to take part in an international competition and show the world what they were made of. Trainers of every shape, size, nationality, and gender waited in the line, eager to compete on national television.<p>

The registration office was actually a large booth outside, near a small construction site where an old man was having a Machop pound the earth flat. Two Nurse Joys were on duty handling it, as the job had been too big for one nurse alone. The line was evidence for that fact - it stretched on and on, with more than fifty trainers in it. Also, take in mind that it took about three minutes to look at a trainer's license, make sure they are who they say they are, look them up on the computer, give them their passes, and send them on their way.

Jeez...

Thankfully, Tony and co. managed to keep their sanity as they waited. They were almost there now, just a few more trainers in front of them, and none behind them. They had been waiting all morning, and it was almost lunch time already, but the thought of finally getting to the front of the line was filling them with excitement and apprehension.

Kirby was in the front, Tayuyu behind him, and Kelly behind her. Tony stood in front of Pappy, Lucky flitting by his head, and behind Pappy was Katie, who was practically bouncing in her spot impatiently, and just behind her was Ryder with his own Eevee, Evo perched on his shoulder. The line moved forward, and the eagerness built up.

"Come on, come on..." Katie said, hopping up and down. "Hurry up!"

"Jeez," Ryder said. "You're really excited."

"No, it's not that!" Katie said. "I have to use the bathroom, but I don't want to leave my spot in line!"

Everyone sweatdropped in unison.

The line moved forward by one person.

"Hey, Pappy," Tayuyu said, suddenly. "Are you still babysitting Tony, or are you joining the St. Anne too?"

"Of course I'm joining!" Pappy said. "What, did you think I was too old?"

"N-no..." Tayuyu said. "It's just... well... You have a Magikarp and a Goldeen..."

"I also have a Poliwhirl," Pappy stated. "I caught 'im a little while just before I left Pallet Town."

"...Good for you," Tayuyu said.

"What?" Pappy said. "Don't tell me I'll cramp yer style!"

"No, it's not that..." Tayuyu protested. "I... I just didn't think you were that into training!"

"Well, even if I wasn't, I wouldn't miss a chance to see my grandnephew take on some trainers from around the world!" Pappy said, patting Tony on the back. "Besides, I'd never give up a chance to be on the St. Anne again! It's been over twenty years since I've last sailed with her."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that story!" Tony said. "That's when you went with Uncle Brad and Aunt Sally pushed him overboard!"

"Yeah," Pappy said. "Good times..."

The teens all stared at Tony and Pappy. "What?" asked Tony.

"Your Aunt... pushed your Uncle... off of a boat?" Kirby said, carefully reconstructing the sentence. Sally could never do something like that... could she?

"Well, yeah..." Tony said. "Uh, Auntie and Uncle weren't really... close as kids."

"They were rivals..." Pappy said, remembering the good old days. "Brad was the son of a proud Navy man - also known as me - and a tough but fair housewife. Poor Sally on the other hand, grew up in an orphanage, and she... tended to spend a lot of her time with the wrong crowd..." He paused, before saying, "You know, I'm not really at liberty to say. You'll have to ask Sally and Brad when you see them."

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "That's probably a good idea."

"Aww..." the teens moaned, with an exception of Ryder, who had never met any of Tony's family other than Pappy.

The line moved forward again. Tony and Lucky could feel their hearts beating faster. The anticipation was killing them!

"Hey there!" said a familiar voice. Kevin and Ty walked back from the front of the line, having signed themselves up.

"Looks like you've decided to show up," Ty said. "I'll take it you got your Thunder Badge?"

"Sure did!" Tony said proudly. "Now all that's left to do it compete in the St. Anne and move on to the next gym!"

"Indeed," Ty agreed. "But the question is, exactly how far you will get in the St. Anne... Hmm..." The dark skinned man grinned before walking off. "I'll be seeing you - if you get past the prelims that is."

"I will!" Tony shouted. "Count on it!"

"Who was that guy?" asked Pappy, watching Ty walk off.

"Oh, that's that freako Ty," Katie said. "He pops up, spouts nonsense and then disappears without a trace. Weird guy."

"I see..." Pappy murmured.

Kevin looked over the teen again. "Thank you," he said. "I've enjoyed our time together - however now is the for us to part... for now. I'm going off to train before the prelims start. The next time any of us meet, we will be rivals."

"Well then," Tayuyu said, "you'd better get a move on. I'd hate to stomp you too easily."

"Provided you ever get to her," Kirby added.

Kevin laughed. "Well, it looks like the competitive spirit is with everyone today. Very well. See you later." And with that, he turned away and walked off, ready to train hard before the preliminaries.

"Jeez," Tony said. "Ty and Kevin, and they're both really strong trainers." Inwardly, he began to wonder if he had a chance against them. Ty had an Arcanine - he knew that much - and Kevin was pretty skilled too. It was going to be an uphill competition, that was for sure.

"Hmph!" Katie humphed. "I'll show them a thing or two when we start our battle!"

The line moved forward again.

Kelly sighed impatiently. "How could they make a handicapped girl wait in line?" she demanded, as she steadied herself with her crutches. "It should be illegal!"

"Oh, stop whining," Ryder said, as he nuzzled Evo, who purred happily. "Sometimes, you simply have to wait."

Kelly looked over the line. She wasn't stupid. She knew half of these people. Many of them were agents of Team Rocket. The line moved forward again, and two familiar faces walked by. Solomon and Pamela Checks - AKA the brother/sister duo known as Salt and Pepper, or by their actual code names of No. 45 and No. 46. Kelly knew them both very well. Pepper was loud, bombastic, and battle-happy - but not very smart, having never been to school, and never taking any interesting in learning. She was prone to violent outbursts, and not intelligent enough for anything other than grunt work.

Salt on the other hand, was a bit of a mystery. Quiet, calculating, and often spending his spare time reading. He never expressed much emotion, and he never talked with anyone save his sister, if he could avoid it. Kelly knew very little about him, except one thing: he joined with Team Rocket not because he wanted to, but because his sister had joined, and he merely wanted to keep her safe.

_Hmph,_ Kelly thought. _He'll see in time what Team Rocket is really about. He'll see..._

Kelly also knew that Salt and Pepper had been the ones to fight Tony in the Viridian Forest - the first time Tony had faced the Rockets. She didn't think Tony recognized them without their masks and uniforms, but they certainly recognized him. Pepper's face turned red as she remember her humiliating defeat. She began to walk towards Tony, much to Kelly's horror: if Pepper said something stupid (which, knowing Pepper, she would) she could blow her and Salt's cover - and possibly Kelly's as well.

Salt put his hand on Pepper's shoulder. She turned to face her brother, an excuse already on her lips, but it faded away when she caught the expression on her brother's face. Silencing his sister with merely a look, Salt lead her away, giving a knowing glance to Kelly. It happened in mere seconds, and Tony hadn't noticed. He was too busy speaking with Ryder about his hopes for a rematch, and his desire to test out Tochu in another battle.

Kelly sighed. Why did the boss think _this_ kid was worth recruiting?

Just as Tony and Ryder began to debate Tony's previous victory over Ryder's Flareon Blaise, and whether it was dumb luck or pure skill, a sleek white limousine drove up. The driver swiftly hopped out and opened the door, allowing two bluenettes to step out.

Nicole and Marissa were back, baby.

"Thank you," Marissa said to her driver. She pulled out her signature white parasol and held it over her head. "We can take it from here, Casper!"

"Very good, Mrs. Wingleton," said Casper. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and pointed them to the sky. Capser was quite fond of bird watching.

"Jeez," Nicole said. "We got lucky! Look how short the line is!"

"Mmm, yes," Marissa agreed. "Of course, we might have gotten here before it started, if..."

"No!" Nicole said. "You promised! No more motorcycling!"

"I was going to say skydiving!" Marissa retorted with a laugh. "Well, come on," she said, placing the parasol over her shoulder. "Let's go and sign up."

The two bluenettes began to walk towards the line. Nicole quickly recognized her friends in the line, able easily to see Tony, Kirby, Katie and Pappy, and right in front of them were her rival Tayuyu, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Hey!" Nicole shouted, waving her arm. "Tony! Kirby! Katie! Mr. Pappy!"

Tony turned around, quickly catching sight of the two girls - they were the only girls he knew that had blue hair, after all - and waved. "Hey! It's Nicole and Marissa!"

"Hi!" Nicole shouted as she approached the line, followed closely by Marissa. "How have you been? Did you get your Thunder Badge?"

"Yup!" Tony said, giving a thumbs up. "I wouldn't be standing here in line if I didn't!"

"How wonderful for you," said Marissa. "Beating that Surge fellow is no easy task. I do hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"Nothing I can't handle," Tony said, with a bit less enthusiasm.

"Well then, I suppose we'll be facing each other in the St. Anne, should the battle every occur," Marissa said, getting behind the line.

"You sure you're up to it?" Tayuyu asked, more to Nicole than to Marissa. "This isn't some amateur tournament - it's the real deal."

Nicole folded her arms and got behind Marissa. "Don't take me for just some kid!" she said, a little harder than she intended. "I've been training long and hard while I was in Cerulean. My team is ready for anything that comes our way!"

"Well, we'll see about that, won't we?" Tayuyu said. Nicole didn't have to see her face to know that an arrogant smirk had crossed her face.

"Elitist," the lass murmured.

"Looks like we're all here!" Katie said. "Well, except for Tobias and Angelica."

"Oh, don't worry about them!" Marissa said. "They're likely already applied to the Tournament. After all, Angelica is the spokes-person, and Tobias is her boyfriend - somehow."

"Hmph!" Kelly huffed. "It doesn't matter if they're in or not! I'll take them all down!"

"Like you could..."

"Stuff it, Kirby."

"Well, you'll all get to see who is truly the best when the tournament is done," Pappy said. "Of course, even if you do win, you're still not a member of the Elite Four - though I'm sure you kids could get there one day!" He sighed happily. "Of course, I'll probably be gone by then, eh?"

"Oh, Pappy," Tony said. "Don't talk like that! You're probably salt preserved from all those years at sea!"

Pappy laughed. "Well, can't argue with that," he said.

"Well," Ryder said, "we'll all know who really is the best when we get up there and... hey, the line's gone!"

The teens and Pappy looked to where the line had been, surprised. While they had been chatting the line had vanished, all of the trainers having signed up and gone off to train for the tournament, and the preliminaries that were going to be held the very next day.

"Wow," said Tony. "That was..."

Before he could say another word, the teens and Pappy took off, rushing over to the registration booth and leaving Tony and Lucky in the cloud of dust.

"H-hey!" Tony shouted, chasing after them. "Wait up!"

"Bree!" Lucky chirped as she flew after Tony.

"Hiya!" Tony shouted breathlessly as he reached the stand. "I'm not too late, am I?"

"Oh, no," one of the Nurse Joy's answered. "You're just in... Oh, it's you!"

Tony blinked. He faintly recognized the Nurse Joy's voice. She was the one from Viridian City, the one he had sort of saved from Kayla Reeds. Normally, it was impossible to tell one Nurse Joy apart from another, but when you use the Pokemon Center in Viridian City all throughout your life, you manage to pick up on little things. This Nurse Joy's voice was deeper than most, though not too deep, and her eyes were a dark green, whereas the one they met in Pewter had lighter green eyes, and the one in Cerulean had had blue eyes.

"Oh, hey!" Tony said, reaching past Tayuyu and shaking her hand. "You look good! How're things back in Viridian?"

"They're fine, thanks to you!" the Nurse Joy said. "No more attempts have been made to steal Pokemon from the center, and no one's seen hide or hair of Team Rocket! I guess you chased them outta town, eh?" She playfully winked at Tony.

Tony blushed. Kelly stifled a laugh at the concept of Tony of all people running Team Rocket out of anything.

"So," Viridian Joy said, are you going to join the St. Anne too?"

"I sure am!" said Tony.

"After everyone else in line," said an annoyed Tayuyu.

"Oh, right, sorry," Tony said, rubbing the back of his head with an apologetic grin.

"Right!" said the second Nurse Joy, as she quickly looked over Kirby's license and pulled out the registration papers.

Kirby swfitly signed the papers and was confirmed for the preliminaries, followed by Tayuyu. Finally, after what seemed like forever, it was Tony's turn. He eagerly made it to the front of the line and flashed his license.

"Alright," Viridian Nurse Joy said. "Now, we need to know your Pokemons' names, species and moves, please!"

"Okay," Tony said. "I have two, Lucky my Butterfree, and Tochu my Parasect. Lucky knows..."

"You only have two?" Nurse Joy asked, her cheerful expression fading away.

"Uh, yeah..." Tony said, wondering what the deal was.

"Oh, dear," Viridian Nurse Joy said. "This isn't good..."

"What?" Tony asked. "What's not good?"

"Didn't you see the tournament posters?" the second Nurse Joy, who hailed from Cinnabar. "The contest rules state that you must have a minimum of three Pokemon to join."

Tony blinked, the statement sinking in. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't. Finally he managed an, "Oh."

"You have to have three Pokemon?" Nicole asked. "Really?"

"Those are the rules, I'm afraid," Viridian Nurse Joy said.

"Well, can't you change them?!" demanded Pappy. "This poor kid came all the way from-!"

"Pappy, Pappy," Tony said. "It's okay, alright? It's okay."

"Ah, but Tony," Pappy said.

"No, no, it's okay," said Tony. "I mean, if those are the rules, those are the rules, I guess..."

"You wouldn't be having this problem if you made Alph stay with you," said Kelly.

"I know Kelly," Tony said, a little harsher than he intended.

"I'm just sayin'..."

"Wait," Nicole said, "Alph left? When did that happen? How did that happen?"

"It happened when we went to Diglett Cave," Katie said sadly.

As the teens told Marissa and Nicole what had happened to Alph, Viridian Nurse Joy elbowed Cinnabar Joy and made a gesture for her to come closer. The second Pokemon Nurse leaned in and Viridian Joy whispered in her ear. "We need to help him out!" she whispered.

"What?!" Cinnabar Joy didn't seem to think that was a good idea. "Why!? That's cheating, isn't it?"

"Well... Probably not..." Viridian Joy said, picking up the list of required qualifications. "Let's see..."

"What are you doing?!" Cinnabar Joy hissed.

"Looking for a loophole," Viridian Joy answered. "I owe him that much... Aha!" she said out loud. Her proclamation brought the others out of their conversation and took their attention away from Alph's absence. "It says that participants in the tournament may not have less than three Pokemon!"

"Uh, you already said that," growled Kelly.

Viridian Joy grinned. "It says that _participants_ in the_ tournament_ many not have less than three Pokemon. It doesn't say anything about participants to the preliminaries!"

"That... That..." Cinnabar Joy stuttered. "Well... Yeah, it doesn't say anything about that..."

Viridian Joy slapped her hands on the table and pointed at Tony. "Alright, I'll let you sign up for the tournament - but you have to have a third Pokemon before the preliminaries, or else you won't qualify."

"Really?" said Tony. "Is that legal?"

"Yeah, is that legal?" asked Cinnabar Joy.

"Of course it is... I think..." Viridian Joy said.

"Oh. Well, I don't know..." Tony said. He'd hate for Nurse Joy to get into trouble just so he could compete in a silly tournament... then again, his uncle and aunt were coming to see him compete, and he had worked so hard to get this far...

"Of course he'll do it!" said Pappy.

"Wha-?!" Tony stuttered. "I will?"

"Of course!" Pappy said. "The preliminaries are tomorrow! All you have to do is capture one Pokemon by tomorrow! Simple!"

"Yeah," Tayuyu said. "It's easy to catch a Pokemon."

"And you've done if before," Kelly pointed out.

"Well, yeah..." Tony said. "I guess I'll sign up anyway... as long as it's okay with you, Nurse Joy."

"It'll be fine, as long as you have your Pokemon by tomorrow!" Nurse Joy said with a nod. She swiftly finished registering Tony. "Hurry up and catch one please! Good luck in the tournament!"

"If you get to compete, that is..." the Cinnabar Joy said.

Tony quietly got out of the line and allowed the Nurse Joys to sign the others up. He stayed quiet, deep in thought as the others swiftly signed up. He had to capture a Pokemon - a Bug Pokemon - before the day was up. Otherwise, no St. Anne for him, and his aunt and uncle would have come all this way for nothing. He looked over to Lucky, who looked equally nervous. Finding a Bug-Type would be tricky - this wasn't the Viridian Forest they were in. They were near Vermillion City and Route 11 - they would have to search high and low.

"You think we can do it?" Tony asked Lucky at last.

"Bree!" Lucky said, trying to remain optimistic for her trainer's sake. "Butterfee!"

Tony gave a small smile. "Yeah, I guess so." He turned and face Route 11, the grassy plains that lay to the east of Vermillion, just beyond the Diglett Cave. "We can't let Auntie and Uncle down."

Pappy walked up behind him. "You won't," he said, "whether you join the St. Anne or not Buck up, kiddo," he said, patting Tony on the back. "We'll grab a bite to eat, and then you can go out and find yerself a new Pokemon.

Tony nodded. "Right!" he said. "I will... I hope..."

Soon, Nicole, Tayuyu, Katie, Kirby, Marissa and Kelly joined up with them. They all bid kind farewells to the two Nurse Joys, who said they would watch for them at the Tournament. That being said, the teens and Pappy "So," Kelly said, "you need to capture another Pokemon before the preliminaries." She didn't do a very good job at hiding the snideness in her voice.

"That's so not fair!" complained Katie. "Why can't you use just two Pokemon?!"

Nicole whispered something to Marissa, whose eyes went wide. "Absolutely not!" she hissed.

Nicole glared and elbowed her friend in the rib.

"Oh, fine," Marissa grumbled. "Ahem, Tony! I happen to have more than three Pokemon. Would you care to borrow one of my precious babies... but just for the tournament, of course."

Ryder spoke up, feeling sorry for Tony and also wanting a rematch with him to get over the defeat of Blaise against Tochu. "You could borrow one of my Eeveelutions," he offered. "They're good for a tournament like this one, and they've never let me down!"

"Sorry," Tony said. "I only use Bug-Pokemon. If I didn't, I'd lose my Bug-Catcher's Union Benefits."

"Wait a minute, you have a union?" said a surprised Tayuyu. She never took Bug-Catchers very seriously, like most trainers.

Kirby was equally surprised. "And you get benefits too?"

"Oh, yeah!" Tony said. "The Bug-Catcher's Union! It goes all the way from Kanto to Unova. We do all sorts of stuff. We feed wild Bug Pokemon like Caterpie and Weedle, we send each other study notes and pictures of our Pokemon - Lucky is one of the contenders for most beautiful Butterfree, naturally." Lucky beamed in pride at this statement, adjusting her antennas carefully, like a human girl would her hair. "We also like to help raise domesticated Beedrill at farms! It's a lot of fun! You should join some time."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you get benefits," Kelly pointed out.

"Yeah!" Katie complained. "I want benefits too!"

"Oh, we get benefits because the leader of the club, Mr. Bugsy, lives in Johto, and his father raises Beedrill for their honey. He sends the honey to all sorts of places around Kanto, and they get sold at the Pokemart - a lot of Pokemon love honey. So, a lot of Pokemarts buy them, and Mr. Bugsy's father made a deal with them - he'll charge less, if the Pokemarts give all registered members twenty percent off all of their merchandise."

"What?!" Tayuyu said, surprised. "Twenty percent off!?"

"It's not much, but it is a good discount," Ryder said.

"How else could I buy so much Pokemon food?" asked Tony. "Discount power!" He gave a thumbs up and a wink.

"No fair..." Katie murmured.

"Shut up, Katie," Kelly ordered. "Well, whatever," she said, getting over her own shock of the Bug-Catcher's Union. "You can have all the discounts you want, but it won't fix the fact that you need another Pokemon to join!"

"Don't be a sourpuss, Kelly," said Pappy. "Tony's smart as paint and sharp as a razor blade. He'll figure somethin' out."

"Yeah, I will!" Tony said, looking out at Route 11. "Right after lunch, I'm going to Route 11 and finding myself another Bug-Pokemon!"

"Bree-ree!" Lucky cheered.

"Good idea"! Katie said. "I'm starving! Let's get a bite! Yuyu's buying!"

"Don't call me Yuyu!"

The group walked off back to the Pokemon Center, eager to eat a hearty lunch. But Tony's mind was filled with anxiety. He looked very confident on the outside, but on the inside he was terrified that he might not find a Pokemon in time.

He looked back to Route 11. The fields and forests seemed to dare him to come and try and take a Bug Pokemon away. The route was vast - he would have to eat fast, and then he would have to get moving if he hoped to comb that route any.

Taking a deep breath, he kept up with the others. No need to search for Pokemon on an empty stomach.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Whew, I'm glad I got this done in time! It took me forever to get this chapter done the way I wanted it to. The first draft was pretty much just the kids moaning and complaining that the line was so long, and then Marissa and Kelly having a battle after they get frustrated with each other. It was pretty blah, so I had to rewrite a lot of it.**

**So, Anna is sending J out to capture Tony again! What is that diabolical woman planning? And is J planning a little scheme of her own? **

**Poor, poor Tony. He came all that way just to learn that he can't join because he only has two Pokemon. Not to mention that he did have three Pokemon, which is only going to add to the pain of losing Alph. Will Tony be able to get a new Pokemon before time is up?**

**Oh, and yes, Tony is part of a Bug-Catcher's Union - and someone named Bugsy is the leader... Hmm...**

**Well, tune in next time for Tony's search for a new Bug-Type!**


	34. Tony's new Pokemon!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony and co. went to sign up for the St. Anne, meeting up with Marissa and Nicole on the way. However, Tony learned that he couldn't join the tournament because he only has two Pokemon, and you need three to join. However, the Viridian Nurse Joy, who owes Tony a favor, decided to let him sign up if he had a third Pokemon before the preliminaries start the very next day! Will Tony be able to find another Pokemon in time?**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>It was late. The sun was setting, and was disappearing against the horizon, glowing over Route 11. Most trainers had gone back to their homes, or to the Pokemon Center. However, one trainer remained hard at work, searching high and low for one Pokemon, one single Bug Pokemon.<p>

Tony Miller sighed as he took a quick break, leaning against a tree. He looked horrible: his body and clothes were soaked in sweat, he was covered in grass stains and blisters, and he hadn't eaten since a small granola bar he had a few hours ago. To make matters worse, he hadn't seen a single Bug-Pokemon, not even a Weedle. He was exhausted, hungry, and wanted to go back to the Pokemon Center and sleep, sleep, sleep - but he couldn't give up. He had to find a Pokemon, just one, and all his troubles would be over - well, probably.

Tony groaned as he sat down, leaning against the back of the tree. Route 11 was huge, covered in huge grassy plains and massive trees. It was a popular training ground for trainers, and Tony had to politely decline several challengers, not wanting to waste any of his Pokemon searching time - not that it helped. He was still down one Pokemon, and all his hard work was for nothing.

"Bree?"

Lucky floated down on top of Tony's head, hanging down from his head and staring into his eyes with a concerned look on her face. "Bree?"

"I... I'm fine, girl," Tony said. "Just a little tired. I'll be fine. Just give me a few minutes and I'll get going."

"Butterree!" Lucky chirped angrily, shaking her head. She pointed back in the direction of Vermillion, namely to the Pokemon Center.

"What? Lucky, we can't go back yet!" Tony said. "We need to find another Bug-Pokemon if we want to compete in the St. Anne."

"Butterfree!"

"Okay, yeah, I'm really tired - really, really tired - but we came all this way, didn't we?" Tony stood up. "I'm good, see? Let's do this! I'm sure we'll find a bug!"

Lucky sighed as Tony staggered off to look for another Pokemon. She really was tired of this - partially due to her concern for Tony's health, and partially because she really didn't want to have to share him with anyone else. Something had to be done: Tony was exhausted, and on the verge of collapse.

Looks like she had to be the adult here...

"Butterfree!" Lucky shouted, waving her arms.

Tony whirled around, tearing himself away from a bush he had been rummaging through in hopes of a bug. "What is it, girl?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Ree!" Lucky shouted.

Tony ran for his Butterfree. "What? Did you see something? What is it?"

Lucky made "Ree!" sound and gave a powerful flap with her wings. Silvery green powder poofed into Tony's surprised face. The Bug-Catcher opened his mouth to say something, but the Sleep Powder swiftly took hold of him. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell back, sleep taking him before he hit the ground.

"Butter... Bree frutter..." Lucky chirped, sadly. (Tony... I'm sorry...) She looked down at her trainer, and sighed. "Bree, ree bree bree ree..." she said. (Well, I should get him back.)

She paused. How could she get him back?

Lucky groaned and facepalmed. "Ree! Butterfree ree ree!" (Trust me, you don't want to know what she said right there.)

Now what am I gonna do? the Butterfree thought. This plan wasn't turning out so well. She was nowhere near strong enough to life Tony on her own, and she didn't know Psychic.

An idea popped into her head. She floated down to the ground, flitting towards Tony. She grabbed one of his Pokeballs from his belt, and hit the capture device, having seen Tony do it many times.

The Pokeball opened in a flash, releasing Tochu. The Parasect was fast asleep already, as Tony hadn't been using him to help him search, deciding to converse his energy for when they found a Bug-Type to catch. Naturally, he got bored and decided to take a little nap... which lasted three hours.

Lucky sighed, flying up and dropping down on the Bug/Grass-Type's shroom, waking him up with a painful start.

"H-hey!" Tochu said in Pokemon, surprised. "What the-?!"

"Don't shout so loud!" Lucky snapped. "It's me, you dummy!"

Tochu sighed in relief. "Oh, it's just you, Lucky..." he said, relieved. Suddenly, it clicked in his head that he was speaking to Lucky - the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and the girl who made him feel insanely shy and awkward... Well, more shy and more awkward than he usually felt. He began to stutter like an idiot. "Uh I mean, uh, can I help you with something?"

"Yes, you can," Lucky said, pointing to Tony.

Tochu gave a shriek of fear. "T-Tony!" he cried. "What happened?! Who did this?!"

"Oh, I did," Lucky said, casually. "So, listen, I need you to-"

Tochu slowly backed away from the Butterfree, terror written all over his face.

Lucky groaned. "What is it now?!" she demanded.

"P-please don't kill me..."

"What?! I... Oh, for the love of... I didn't kill him!" Lucky shouted.

Tony stirred. "Huh?" he yawned, confused. "Lucky? What's-?"

Lucky gave Tony another burst of Sleep Powder, knocking him out again. "Look, he's just asleep," she said. "He's been working too hard lately. He's a little slow to admit defeat, you see... Poor boy... Anyway, we;re taking him back to the Pokemon Center."

"B-but won't he be angry with us?" Tochu asked, nervously. He still was keeping his distance from Lucky.

"Angry with _me_?" Lucky asked, incredulously. "Of course not! This is for his own benefit."

That doesn't mean he won't be angry with me, though... Tochu thought. Outwardly, he said "Yeah, but he really wanted to compete in that tournament thing..." Tochu said. "If he doesn't have a third Pokemon, he can't join..."

"I wouldn't care if he needed that Pokemon to meet the _Pope_!" Lucky argued. "Listen - Tony pushes himself hard. Sometimes, he pushes himself too hard, and he gets hurt. This has happened before, back when we were at home, back when we were both young. He got badly hurt, and I refuse as his _best friend_ in the world to allow that to happen! Are going to help me, or not?" she finished.

Tochu sighed. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

Lucky smiled, glad to finally have some cooperation. "Pick him up and carry him back to the Pokemon Center," she ordered.

Tochu blinked. "What? But, he's..."

"Oh, please, he can't be that heavy if we both work together. Come on," the Butterfree commanded, grabbing onto Tony's shirt.

Tochu sighed and struggled to hoise Tony onto his mushroom. "Augh... I thought you said he wasn't that heavy..."

"Quit... complaining!" Lucky ordered, as she fluttered her wings and pulled Tony up as best she could. "Now... let's... get... moving!"

Tochu groaned as he slowly began to crawl back to Vermillion.

* * *

><p>"Whoops!"<p>

"W-watch it! You almost dropped him!"

"I didn't mean to..."

"No excuses!"

"But he's like twice my size..."

"You... don't... hear... me... complaining... Ugh..."

Tochu buckled underneath the weight of his trainer, his legs struggling to keep him up. The red bug groaned as he slowly inched towards the Pokemon Center. Lucky was tugging and pulling at Tony's shirt, struggling to help him get inside the Center without waking him up.

The Lucky gave a quick burst of Silver Wind, blowing the doors open. "Go!" she hissed.

"R-right," Tochu said, swiftly stumbling through the door with Tony on his back. He nearly dropped the sleeping boy again as he struggled through the door, desperately trying to keep his balance, no easy task when you're carrying a human who's almost twice your size.

The lights were still on, as it wasn't that late. Only about Nine P.M. Most of the trainers had gone to bed, eagerly anticipating the preliminaries tomorrow. The only person they could see was Nurse Joy, who was wearing a pair of headphones and humming along with a song she was listening to, whilst she had her face buried in a magazine, blissfully unaware of the two Bug-Pokemon carrying their trainer in a rather suspicious manner.

"Uh... Now what?" Tochu asked.

"We find our room, obviously..." Lucky groaned, struggling to keep Tony up. "Keep... moving... Ugh!"

Tochu moaned as he crawled towards the hallway that lead to the rooms for the trainers, struggling underneath Tony's weight. How can someone who runs around all the time weigh this much...? the Parasect thought.

They made it past the Nurse's desk without her noticing, as she kept humming along and bobbing her head up and down with her song. "The bloody Red Baron was in a fix..."

Tochu felt his legs begin to give out. "C-can we take a break?"

"What, and let Tony sleep on the floor?"

"Well, just for a second..." Tochu groaned.

"No! Keep moving! We... can... do... this!" Lucky shouted, flitting as hard as she could.

The two Pokemon stumbled down the hallway as quietly as they could, burdened by the weight of the boy. Tochu's legs and back were burning with pain, and Lucky's tiny arms simply couldn't hold him up much longer.

Thankfully, salvation came in the form of an old man, opening the door to his room with a concerned expression on his face, wearing a pair of hiking shoes and his pajamas, a flashlight in his hand.

Pappy looked down at the two Bug-Pokemon and the out-cold form of his sort-of grandson, his eyes wide with panic. "Wha-?! What happened?!" he demanded.

Lucky looked away, feeling guilty. She let Tony go, and the full weight of the young man came down on poor Tochu, who fell to the ground underneath his trainer. "SEEEECT!" he groaned, surprised.

Pappy picked Tony off of the very, very grateful Parasect. The boy was fine, just fast asleep. Pappy swiftly caught sight of the faint green and silvery powder on his grand-nephew's face. "Sleeping Powder," he murmured, looking at the ashamed Lucky. "Did you do this?"

"Butterfree..." Lucky admitted, feeling horrible that they had been caught. She had been hoping to sneak Tony in without anyone noticing.

Pappy looked at Tony and sighed. "Good job," he said, much to Lucky's surprise. "This poor kid is a mess. He needs his sleep." He carried Tony into the room, with some surprising strength for his age (then again, he did incapacitate a much younger man who was armed with a gun), Lucky and Tochu following.

All of Tony's friends were all asleep. They had all been training all day for the preliminaries, and they were all exhausted. Pappy put Tony into his bed and pulled the covers over him. The boy was out like a light.

Pappy smiled at Lucky and Tochu. "Good work," he told them. "You both were smart to carry Tony back like that. He might've hurt himself if he kept goin' on like that."

"B-butterfree," Lucky agreed, feeling relieved.

"You two get some sleep," Pappy said, placing his flashlight into his bag. "I gotta make a phone call."

"P-parasect," Tochu said, feeling guilty. Would Tony be angry with them?

Pappy patted the two Pokemon on the head. "Don't worry about the St. Anne... Tony's health matters more than that... Besides," he added with a grin, "I've got a plan."

He stood up and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Tochu sighed. "Finally... I don't have to carry anything else," he whispered, exhausted.

"Yes you do," Lucky said.

Tochu groaned. "Oh, no, not again! Oh... What is it this time?"

"Carry me..." Lucky moaned, falling to the ground in an exhausted heep.

Tochu couldn't help but manage a tiny grin. "Yes, ma'am!" he said, swiftly picking the Butterfree up and carrying her to the pile of pillows they slept on.

* * *

><p>"Oh... Good evening! You're up late!" said Nurse Joy.<p>

Pappy waved in response. "Heya," he said. "Closin' up?"

Nurse Joy yawned. "Yes," she said, sleepily. "Do you need me to do anything before I do?"

"Yeah," Pappy said. "I do." He walked to the pay-phones and put some change in. "Wait there for a few minutes, okay? I'm gonna need a hand with the teleporter."

"Oh, okay," Joy yawned. She was tired, true, but running the teleporter wasn't that hard.

Pappy finished making his call, making sure to put in a good deal of change. The call was a long distance one, all the way to Johto.

After a minute of waiting, someone on the other line answered. "Dad? What is it?"

"Ah, Bradley!" Pappy said. "I need a favor."

"Dad," Uncle Brad said, yawning. "It's Ten P.M. Can't it wait?"

"No," Pappy said. "It can't. I need to you to go the Pokemon Center in Violet City right this very instant."

Brad sighed. He was hundreds of miles away from Pappy, inside his tent at the Ruins of Alph, exhausted from a hard day of digging. "Do I have to?" he moaned.

"Yes, and that's an order, sonny," Pappy said.

"But I'm sleepy..."

"The early Magikarp gets the kelp!" Pappy proclaimed. "And the Magikarp who eats the most kelp becomes a Gyrados before the others!"

"Yeah, but the Magikarp are all asleep, too..." Brad complained in response.

"No excuses!" Pappy ordered.

"Alright, I'm up. What do you want me to do at the Pokemon Center?"

"Remember that... present... you got for Tony? Send it here. Now," Pappy said, quietly.

"What? But, Dad, it was supposed to be my coming home present for him!" Brad complained.

"I know, I know," Pappy said. "Look, you know the St. Anne?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, there's a rule that says yeh can't join unless yeh have three Pokemon at the least," Pappy explained. "I already told yeh what happened to his Spinarak, so you know he's down to two Pokemon. He ran around Route 11 all evening looking for another Bug-Type to train, but he didn't find one. He's lying on his bed, fast asleep, and he's gonna wake up tomorrow and find that he can't join the St. Anne because he still has just two Pokemon. He's come all this way to compete. Do you really want to see your nephew lookin' at his friends as they all compete while he can't?"

Brad sighed, defeated. "No, I don't. Alright, I'll get over to the Pokemon Center."

Pappy smirked. "Good," he said. "Hurry along now, don't keep me waitin'."

"Uh... Dad," Brad said. "I should warn you... This guy is pretty tempermental... I'm not sure if he'll follow orders from Tony. He's kind of badly behaved..."

"So was Lucky, if you remember," Pappy replied. "Send it," he ordered again.

"Alright," Brad said. "I'm on my way now. Bye, Dad, tell Sally and Tony I love them."

"I will," Pappy said. He hung the phone up and turned to Nurse Joy. "Get that teleporter ready," he ordered.

"Yes sir!" Joy answered, saluting.

* * *

><p>It was Nine A.M. by the time Tony woke up.<p>

The young man's blue eyes slowly opened, feeling heavy and slow. He moaned as light from the sun shined in his eyes, covering his face with his hand. "What...?" he moaned. "What time is...?" He looked at his watch, his eyes widening.

"Nine A.M.!?"

Tony leaped out of bed. "What happened?" he demanded. "What's going on?" No one answered him; all of the teens and Pappy were gone. Only a snoozing Lucky and Tochu were left, sleeping in the corner.

Tony ran over to his Pokemon, shaking Lucky gently.

"Bree?" Lucky chirped, yawning as she woke up.

"Lucky," Tony said. "What happened? How did we get back to the Pokemon Center?"

Lucky looked up at Tony for a few seconds before looking away, ashamed.

Tony blinked. "What's...?" he began. He paused, catching sight of something glittering on his shirt. He gently scraped his finger against his shirt, and scooped up a finger of Sleeping Powder.

Lucky raised an eyebrow and looked at his Butterfree. "Lucky..." he said, in a low voice. "Want to explain this?" he asked, holding his finger up.

"B-butterfree..." Lucky said, sadly.

Tony sighed. "No new Pokemon," he said, "so no St. Anne." He sat down on his bunk, deep in brooding thought.

Lucky chirped sadly and floated up to Tony, landing on his lap and staring up at him with her large, ruby eyes.

Tony sighed, and patted her on the head. "It's... It's okay, girl. I guess I was goin' nuts out there..." He sighed as he lay back on his bed. "No St. Anne for us, I guess," he said. He was really starting to hate Vermillion: he had lost a Gym Battle, lost a Pokemon, and now he couldn't fight in the St. Anne. He was almost looking forward to going to Celadon.

"Paras...?"

Tochu was awake by now, and he quickly saw Lucky and Tony sitting together, both looking very morose. He gave a chittering groan, knowing that it was likely that Tony knew about them knocking him out and carrying him back to the Pokemon Center. He crawled over to Tony's bed, and gave his trainer an apologetic look.

Tony simply stared at the bottom of the upper bunk. Finally, he forced a smile. "Well..." he said. "I guess watching the St. Anne won't be so bad..."

"Bree?" Lucky asked.

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Tony said, getting up and stretching. "Thanks for taking care of me, guys. I might've worked myself to death out there."

"Sect!" said a relieved Tochu, glad their trainer wasn't angry with them.

Tony heard his stomach growl. "Jeez... I'm hungry. How about you?"

"Bree!" Lucky said, feeling relieved.

"Sect," Tochu agreed, feeling quite hungry himself.

Tony nodded. "Alright, let's go get some breakfast," he said, putting on a grin as best he could.

* * *

><p>To Tony's surprise, he wasn't the only one in the cafeteria. It was late in the morning, and most of the trainers were already out and about, getting some last minute training done. However, one trainer remained: Pappy was sitting on a bench, sipping a cup of coffee, with a tray with pancakes and eggs on the other side of his table.<p>

"Hey, Pappy!" Tony said, surprised to see him there.

"Heya, kiddo," Pappy said. "Sit down," he ordered, gesturing to the pancakes. "I got you some breakfast."

"Wow," Tony said. "Thanks a ton!" He sat down, and pulled out Pokemon food for Lucky and Tochu.

"So, you two are awake too," Pappy said with a wink. "These two tugged your sorry self all the way from Route 11 to here, kiddo. You'd better have thanked them."

"I did," Tony said, popping open the cans. He placed Tochu's in front of him, and put Lucky's on the table, where she was accustomed to eating. "Thanks for the pancakes," he said, before digging in.

"No problem," Pappy said. "So, the preliminaries are today. You joinin'?"

Tony sighed. "I can't," he said, swallowing his pancakes. "I only have two Pokemon, remember?"

Pappy gave a knowing smile. "Oh, do you?" he asked. He pulled a Pokeball out from under the table and held it out in his hand.

Tony stared. "Uh... What's that?" he asked, reaching for the Pokeball.

Pappy held it out of his reach. "A gift from your uncle," he said. "He was gonna give it to you when he got to Vermillion, but I convinced him to give it early."

"Really?" Tony said, surprised. "What is it?"

Pappy kept the Pokeball out of his grand-nephew's reach. "First things first, kiddo," he said. "I don't want to hear any more about you runnin' around routes without any dinner or rest. That was a dumb thing to do, young man. You could have passed out in the middle of nowhere and could have been killed, kidnapped or eaten alive by some kinda vicious wild Pokemon. I don't _ever_ want to hear about that happenin' again. Understand?"

Tony bowed his head, feeling ashamed. "Yes, Pappy."

"And another thing," Pappy said. "The St. Anne is not the biggest thing you'll ever take part of, and missing it is not the end of the world. It's a tournament - there will be others."

"Yes, Pappy..."

Pappy stared at Tony for a second, studying his face and making sure he felt he was being honest. Finally, he handed the Pokeball over. "Now, here you go. Your Uncle is trustin' ya, and I do too. Be responsible with him, and be careful." He gave a grin. "I'm told he's a troublemaker."

Tony stared down at the Pokeball, wondering what could be inside. However, an earlier lesson from Professor Oak came back to him about not opening a Pokeball inside until you know what's inside it.

He placed the Pokeball on his belt, and swiftly ate his breakfast.

* * *

><p>It was a pleasant day in Vermillion. The sun was shining, the Flying-Types were singing, and a gentle breeze wafted through Tony's hair.<p>

The blonde was walking down the path to where the registration office had been the other day, his new Pokeball in his hand as he stared down at it. Lucky and Tochu flew and crawled at his side, and Pappy walked beside him, all in silence.

Finally, he could stand the suspense no longer. He opened the Pokeball.

A red flash emerged from the ball, and a Pokemon emerged onto the ground. The light cleared, revealing a blue, bulky body, almost as tall as Tony was, with yellow eyes and a large horn.

"Hera?"

Tony stood in awe of the Pokemon. Standing before him was one of the most well known and powerful of Bug-Pokemon, sought out by anyone who was a Bug-Catcher: a Heracross, one of the strongest Pokemon in the world, capable of lifting over 100 times its own weight.

And Tony was going to train it.

Finally, words came to him.

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!" Tony said, stuttering and rejoicing at the same time as he pulled out his Pokedex.

**"Heracross, the Single-Horn Pokemon. One of the strongest Pokemon in the world, Heracross can lift several hundred times its own body weight. This species of Pokemon eats tree sap and honey, and will toss other Pokemon away from honey trees to secure its own food. Females have strange ends to their horns that almost resemble hearts. This specimen is male, roughly nine years old, and knows the moves Horn Attack, Endure, Reversal and Brick Break. Scans show that its special ability is Guts."**

Tony was practically squeeing. "Oh my gosh," he said breathlessly. "I can't believe it!"

The Heracross looked down at Tochu, pointing at Tony with his thumb. "Heracross cross?" he asked in a deep, masculine voice. (What's this guy's deal?)

Tochu just shrugged.

"Oh, jeez, I can't believe Uncle Brad caught me a Heracross!" Tony said, excited beyond belief.

"Well, this fella was asleep on the road, and your Uncle had some spare Pokeballs," Pappy chuckled.

The Heracross sweat-dropped. He had no idea where he was, why he was here, who these weird humans were, but they knew that he had fallen asleep on the road after a nasty encounter with a Jigglypuff. Great... Still, he totally would've won that fight if that Jigglypuff wasn't such a coward.

The Heracross blinked as Tony all but shoved his face int his. "Heya," the human said, happily.

"H-hera..." (H-heya...)

"I'm Tony!" Tony said. "I'm your new trainer!"

The Heracross stared. "Hera? Her?" (Trainer? Me?) He began to laugh in a chittery voice. _This poor human has no idea what's comin' to him..._

"We're gonna join the St. Anne together!" Tony said. "Oh, and this is Lucky my Butterfree, and Tochu my Parasect. They're your team mates!"

The Heracross quickly caught sight of Lucky and shot towards her, and eager look in his eyes.

"Hey, Pappy," Tony said. "Heracross likes Lucky already!"

The Heracross gave Lucky his best smile. "Hera," he said. "Hera hera?" (Hey there, how's it goin'?)

"Bree... Butterfree..." Lucky said, awkwardly, wondering why Heracross was staring at her like that. (Uh... Fine, I guess...)

Tochu recognized that stare. One of his hundred or so brothers gave many female Paras that look. A feeling of sheer horror filled inside his stomach: the Heracross wanted to mate with Lucky! The Parasect was in a panic. "Parasect, parasect, parasect!?" he stuttered to himself. (What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!)

"Her, her cross Hera?" the Heracross asked. "Heracross." (So, your name is Lucky? It suits ya.) He gave a wink at the Butterfree, who was just watching him, not sure how to react. Lucky had been taken in by Tony when she was just a Caterpie. She spent all of her life as a domesticated Pokemon, and she had never gone to a breeding center. She had no idea that Heracross was attracted to her, and apparently neither did Tony or Pappy, as they were eager to continue on their way to the Preliminaries.

"Come on, everyone!" Tony said, pulling out Tochu and the Heracross's Pokeballs. "Let's get a move on! We don't wanna be late. We can socialize during lunch!"

Tony returned both Tochu (who was glaring at the Heracross) and Heracross (who was still staring at Lucky), before pocketing them and racing towards the sign up stand. "Come on, Pappy! We need to let Nurse Joy know I can join!

Pappy chuckled. "I'm comin', kiddo," he said, following his grand-nephew.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Okay, before anyone complains about Tony getting yet another Pokemon from his Uncle, please hear me out. I honestly couldn't think of a way for him to get a Heracross in Kanto, and I knew that he absolutely had to have a Heracross, seeing as how it is one of the best Bug-Pokemon of all time, and it's based of the real world's own strongest animal in existence, the Rhinoceros Beetle. So, yeah, sorry that he got another Pokemon via his Uncle. **

**Anyways, Tony has a Heracross, who is a cocky womanizer, who is happy to flirt with Lucky, much to Tochu's chagrin. Will there be rivalry, or will they ever put aside their differences? Well, we'll find out eventually, now won't we?**

**Well, stay tuned for the next chapter! The time is almost here to see the preliminaries!**


	35. The Preliminaries Begin!

**Last time, on Tony's Journey...**

**Tony worked himself to exhaustion on Route 11, searching for a Bug-Type he could use in the upcoming St. Anne Tournament. However, his Butterfree, Lucky, knocked him out with Sleep Powder, and Tochu and her dragged their trainer back to the Pokemon Center. The next day, Tony woke up to discover that his Uncle Brad had sent him a new Pokemon from Johto, a Heracross! Now, Tony is off to join the preliminaries for the St. Anne and win the right to compete!**

**What will happen next? Find out now!**

* * *

><p>As the sun rose higher in the sky, and noon drew closer, a crowd had begun to gather around a stage that had been set up yesterday, sitting right next to where Tony had tried to sign up for the St. Anne yesterday. The crowd watched the stage eagerly, anticipating the upcoming announcement, that the preliminaries were going to begin, and what the challenge would be.<p>

Tony finished signing his papers for the St. Anne, relieved to finally be able to do so. "Thanks a lot," he told Viridian Joy.

"No, no, thank you!" Viridian Joy answered. "We hope to see you again!" she added with a bow. It was much less creepy coming from this Joy, thankfully, and it didn't scare Tony at all.

Followed by Lucky, as per usual, Tony quickly managed to spot Nicole and Marissa in the crowd (they were the only bluenettes there) and made his way to them. Sure enough, the rest of his group, Tayuyu, Kirby, Katie, Nicole, Marissa, Kelly, Ryder, and Pappy, were all been all day?!"

"Sorry," Tony said. "I had a rough day yesterday." He grinned and held up a Pokeball. "But I got it!" he said, excited.

"You did?!" said a surprised Kelly. Last time she saw Tony, he was wandering around uselessly without any new Pokemon whatsoever.

"That's great!" Kirby said. "So you'll compete!"

"Yeah, I will!" Tony said.

"Bree!" Lucky trilled.

"Awesome"! Katie cheered. "We all get to join!"

"So," Nicole said, eagerly, "what kind of Pokemon is it? I want to know what I'm up against."

"Shh!" Marissa interrupted. "It's starting!"

A man wearing a sleek looking black suit parted the curtains and stepped out. A wild cheer swept through the audience, and Tayuyu was among them, easily recognizing Giovanni Sakaki. The handsome business man stepped forward with a smile, making sure the microphone for the stage was on. Finally, he spoke to the crowd: "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the preliminaries for the St. Anne!"

Another wild cheer broke out, and Giovanni had to wait for it to stop before he continued. "I'm glad that you all could make it for this occasion - some of you have travelled from other cities, and some from other counties! I even recognize some faces in this crowd," he said with a smile. "I thank you all for coming!"

Another cheer, loud but thankfully short-lived. The tension was building even bigger.

"However, while I am glad to see so many of you, I am also saddened - I am saddened because I know that many of you will not be competing in the St. Anne. The preliminaries will put not only your skills of battle to the test, they will put your skills as a trainer to the test. Do you think you are ready?"

A cheer rang out, but not as loud as the previous one. Trainers were becoming nervous now.

"Well then," Giovanni said, "I think I'll let the professor take it from here." He stepped aside from the microphone respectively

Another man, shorter and white haired, parted the curtains and walked up to the microphone. Another cheer, more wild than the one for Giovanni, rose up in the air to greet Professor Samuel Oak.

Professor Oak smiled and spoke into the microphone: "Good morning, everyone!"

An enthusiastic cheer roared from the crowd, Tony and co. amongst them,

"I'm Professor Oak - but I'll take it you already know that!" Oak said. "I'd like to thank everyone who came this far - but I'm afraid the time has come to separate the competitors from those poor trainers who won't be competing. The preliminaries are begining now!"

Another cheer, until Oak raised his hand in a request for silence. "Blue, the curtains, please!" he ordered.

The red curtains parted, revealing that behind the curtains was a huge group of Pokemon. There were dozens of them, of all shapes and sizes: Mankey, Primeape, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Pidgey, Oddish, Gloom, Ratatta, all sorts of Pokemon, and they all had one thing in common: there was a strange looking, green band wrapped around a part of their body, whether it be a tail of its legs or arms.

Oak motioned for one of the Pokemon, a small female Nidoran, to come forward. The Poison-Rabbit Pokemon hopped forward happily, and Oak carefully picked her up. "As you can probably see, this Pokemon has a green band around her ear. All of these Pokemon are Pokemon my Grandson caught that we research at my lab, and live on my preserve. They have all been given these tracking tags. Your goal, trainers, is to capture one of these Pokemon, who will be released in Route 11, and bring it back here before five o'clock. The first sixty trainers to return with one of these Pokemon will have the chance to compete. Giovanni?"

Giovanni stepped forward again, taking the mike. "Sixty trainers..." he said. "There are about one hundred and eighty of you here now. Sixty is one third that number. That means only about a third of you are getting in. It also means that two thirds of you will have come to watch others compete... The odds are not good." He smiled, giving a look of someone who enjoyed competition. "May the best trainers win."

Oak stood up to the mike again. "Here are the rules, ladies and gentlemen. First off, you will have until five P.M. to catch one of these Pokemon. Secondly," he said, making a gesture with his hand. A Nurse Joy walked out with a tray of green Pokeballs, "you may only use these Pokeballs to capture the Pokemon. Please keep in mind that they will resist capture, so you had better be prepared to fight them! The Pokemon will be only found on Route 11, so make sure to search there! Third, and this goes without saying, you may not under any circumstances steal Pokemon from another trainer - we will find out, and you can spend a free, all expenses paid night at the Vermillion Police Station with a very unhappy Officer Jenny to keep you company!"

Tony shuddered. "Ugh..."

"Fourth," Oak added, pulling out a green armband, like the ones the Pokemon were wearing, from his pocket. "You will all be required to wear one of these tracking devices, so we can know where you are in case of emergency, and also to determine who has captured which Pokemon. Finally - and this is a big one - you may only use one Pokemon for this challenge. So, not only should you choose a Pokemon who is strong, but one that will be able to help you on your way! The Pokemon who remain here..." He gestured once again to Nurse Joy.

The Nurse swiftly hopped up to the mike and took it. "The Pokemon who remain here will be given a free spa day courtesy of the Pokemon Fan-Club!" she said, cheerily. "There, Pokemon experts will cater to your Pokemon's needs and relaxation!" She handed the mike back to Giovanni.

Giovanni looked over the crowd once more. "I see you are eager to begin," he said. "Then the time has come - prepare your Pokemon, and chose who you will take with you! I hereby declare the Preliminaries open!" he declared loudly.

A huge wave of cheers went over the crowd, but it swiftly passed. Giovanni, Professor Oak, and Nurse Joy left the stage, leaving the trainers with a difficult choice.

Who would they choose?

* * *

><p>Tayuyu looked down at her Pokemon as she marched by them, arms folded behind her back, drill sergeant style. She eyed each of her Pokemon, who were all standing side to side. Blaze, her Charizard, a ferocious beast of fire and flight. Mach, her Machamp, capable of lifting massive boulders and shattering them. Kyubi, her Ninetails, a beast of speed and ferocity, capable of unleashing searing blasts of heat. Which one to choose?<p>

Finally, Tayuyu stopped, her strategic mind had the answer. "Blaze," she said. "You're not as strong as Mach, and you're not as fast as Kyubi, but you can fly. This is a contest of speed and tracking, not of brute strength. I choose you!"

Blaze roared with approval. "Chari!"

Tayuyu looked to her other two Pokemon. "Sorry, boys," she said. "Guess you'll have to suffer through the spa."

"Machamp!" cheered Mach. Then, he paused, his face read. "Ma... Ma champ Mach champ mach machamp..." (Uh... not that I care of anything...)

Kyubi yawned lazily. "Ninetails," he said, boredly. He loved being pampered. (Suits me)

Tayuyu returned her two male Pokemon to their Pokeballs. "Alright," she told Blaze. "Time to show everyone why we're elite! Let's do it!"

"Char!"

* * *

><p>Kirby sat silently underneath a tree, sitting motionlessly in the grass. His Pokemon were all perched on him, and were eating Pokemon food out of his cupped hands. Tim his Farfetch'd, Taka his Pidgeot, and Blade his Scyther perched by their master peacefully.<p>

Finall, Kirby spoke. "Tim," he said, wiping a strand of sandy blonde hair from his face. "Would you like to be my partner for the preliminaries?"

"Far... Farfetch'd!" Tim said, after some consideration. He raised his leek in salute.

Kirby patted the Wood Duck Pokemon on the head. "Good. Taka and Blade have been my main battlers for a while now, so I think you could use some practice."

"Scyther..." Blade said, happy for Tim but upset about missing in a potential battle.

"Pidgeo!" Taka said, happily. She was looking forward to a spa day.

Kirby returned Taka and Blade to their Pokeballs, and picked up Tim. "Let's go. The preliminaries will start soon."

* * *

><p>"Here you go, girls. Dig in!"<p>

Nicole Rogers leaned over her Pokemon with four cans of fresh Pokemon food open for her Pokemon, setting them down for them. Atlanta, Spring, Ember and Luna all eagerly dug into their food.

The lass sighed as she sat down on her picnic table, looking over her Pokemon, and wondering who would be the best choice. Atlanta was her first Pokemon, the most skilled, but this was a good chance to train up her more inexperienced ones. Spring had already gotten a lot of training back at Cerulean, and Ember... well... Fire-type. Nicole cast a wary glance at her Vulpix. Sadly, the kitsune caught the worried look, and her ears drooped visibly.

Nicole swiftly, but carefully, petted the Vulpix on the head. "It's okay, girl..." she said. "I'm not that afraid," she promised.

Ember smiled widely. "Vulpi!" she cheered, a small poof of smoke rising from her mouth.

Nicole gave a shriek at the possibility of fire and leaped up off her seat. Ember groaned and bowed her head sadly. Atlanta, Spring and Luna gave their friend a reassuring pat on the back, trying to lift her spirits.

Nicole sat down, still terrified. "Uh... I mean... Sorry..." she stuttered to her Pokemon, who looked very dismal. "It... It's not your fault, really!"

"Vulpi..." Ember said, with a sad sigh.

"Oh, it's okay..." Nicole said. "Uh... I... Tell you what? Why don't we do the preliminaries together?" she said before she could stop herself.

"Vulpi?" Ember said, surprised. (Really?)

Nicole resisted the urge to slap herself. "Yeah... Uh, we'll do it together!"

"Vulpi!" cheered Ember, leaping to her trainer's lap.

Nicole managed not to squirm as the Fire-type nuzzled her adorably. "G-good girl..." she said, faking a smile. "Uh, looks like you all get a spa day!" she told her other Pokemon.

"Vaporeo," Atlanta said, happily.

"Chika!" Spring cheered, still feeling a bit weary from her Cerulean training.

"Cle-clefairy..." stuttered Luna, nervously. She was really only comfortable around Nicole, and the thought of being left behind for hours on end with someone else scared her.

Nicole returned her three other Pokemon to their Pokeballs and set off, Ember following her. The kitsune was happily cheering, smoke pouring from her open mouth.

"Ough..." Nicole muttered, her stomach feeling very jittery all of the sudden.

* * *

><p>"Oh... which one would you choose, Casper?"<p>

"I have no idea, Ms. Wingleton."

Marissa sighed, playing with a strand of her blue hair with her finger, frustrated. She looked over her Pokemon as they played by the shore of Vermillion Bay. Squirtle, Lapras, Krabby and Magikarp (Marissa was never good with nicknames for her Pokemon) were all happily swimming about in the waters, splashing about.

Marissa looked over her Pokemon. Squirtle was faster than the others, but Krabby was stronger. Poor Magikarp wouldn't be much help though. He wasn't very mobile on land.

Marissa sighed as she looked over the water, dipping her feet into it. She loved the water. She had been the top swimmer in her swim class, and her father constantly took her on boat-rides as a young girl. It was only natural that she would want to have a team of Water-types.

And also only natural she'd want to be the best known, most prestigious Water-type trainer in Kanto.

"Squir?"

Marissa felt a hand tugging on the hem of her dress. She looked down to see Squrtle, looking up at her with anxious eyes. "Squir?" she asked.

Marissa smiled. "Well," she said. "I guess you want to be my partner for the preliminaries, don't you?" she asked.

"Squirtle!" Squirt!" cheered Squirtle.

"Well, "Marissa told Lapras, Krabby and Magikarp, "you're getting a spa day~!"

"Lapra..."

"Krabby?!"

"Magi?!"

"Oh, don't whine, consider yourselves lucky! Right Casper?"

"Uh... Right, Ms. Wingleton."

"Casper, don't side with them!"

* * *

><p>"Well," Katie said, between licks of her ice cream cone. "I know who I'm <em>not<em> choosing."

Jack, who was sitting on her lap and waiting for drops of the rapidly melting cone to fall down, gave Katie an innocent look. "Veeeeeeeeeeee?"

"Don't gimme that look!" said Katie, givng her ice cream another large lick. "You're not coming," she decided.

Jack gave the Eevee equivilent of a shrug, indifferent, and waited again for drops of ice cream.

Katie looked down at her last two Pokemon, while licking her cone. Athena, her Pidgeton, was preening her feathers, while her Meowth, Scratch, was lazily napping the afternoon away, a typical behaviour of cat-like Pokemon.

"Well," Katie said, finishing off the ice cream and begining to eat the cone. "I guess I'll take you Athena!"

"Pidgeo," Athena chirped with a nod.

"Besides," Katie said. "These guys will probably be happier in the spa than you will!" She raised her cone to take another bite, only to discover that it was gone.

"JACK!"

"Vee!"

* * *

><p>Ryder groaned as he looked over his Pokemon, his mind at a strategic crossroad. Playing happily in the grass in front of him was Blaise, his Flareon, Rizar, his Espeon, Raila, his Umbreon, Pulsar, his Vaporeon, and Bolt, his Jolteon. Evo was curled up at Ryder's side. All were fantastic Pokemon - they were Eeveelutions, after all, and in Ryder's mind they were the pinnicle of all Pokemon - but because they were all great, he had to make a choice: which one did he take?<p>

Blaise's Fire-type attacks were ferocious, but she wasn't as fast as Bolt. Bolt as fast, but he couldn't swim, only Pulsar could swim. Pulsar could swim, but Raila had the best eye-sight. However, Rizar was a Psychic-type, and could often use his powerful mind to sense Pokemon beforehand.

"Gaah!" Ryder said, grabbing his purple hair in frustration. "What do I do!?" he demanded.

"Vee?" Evo asked.

Ryder sighed as he rubbed Evo on the head. "How about you, boy? You want a spa day?"

Evo's eyes widened. "V-Vee! Eevee!" he cried, terrified.

Ryder sighed. He hadn't taken into account that Evo was terrified of everyone besides himself when making his canculations. "Well," he said, looking over his other Pokemon. "Do you guys want a spa day?"

"Vapor!"

"Umbreon."

"Jolteo!"

"Espeo!"

"Flareo!"

Ryder sighed. "Ah, why should I have to make desicions when you can make them for me?" he asked Evo as the Eevee licked his hand.

* * *

><p>Kelly Rhodes kept a straight expressionless face as she looked down at her Pokemon. All three of them were out of their Pokeballs, standing before her at attention as if they were soldiers, the attitude most Rockets wanted their Pokemon to have.<p>

Micheal, her Cubone had his arms folded behind his back, holding his bone in his scaled hands. Anna, her Eevee, stood tall and straight, not even wagging her tail or even perking her ears. Her Ditto, Jackie, stood as straight as a genderless blob could stand.

Kelly's keen eyes scanned each one, knowing their strengths and weaknesses by heart. Each one had its advantages and disadvantages, and she wanted to know which ones would be the best choice for the preliminaries.

Micheal was the strongest, but he wouldn't be able to do much against Flying or Water-types. Anna was fast, but she was a Normal-type with no typing advantages. Jackie could shapeshift into anything, but would that be effective in the long run? Professor Oak said he used those Pokemon for research, so they might not have many good moves to use.

Kelly groaned. This was harder than she had thought. She had only ever caught one Pokemon, Micheal, and even then he was already asleep when she had. She was more into battling than catching. If she wanted a new Pokemon, she could just steal one; that's how she got her Eevee.

Kelly gave a sigh. Finally, she came to a conclusion. Micheal was the strongest, and she needed to be able to knock out her enemy quickly, so she could get back to hand in her entrance Pokemon. " Micheal," she said. The Cubone straightened obidiently. "We're going. You're my partner for now."

"Cu!"

* * *

><p>Plip. Plop. Plip.<p>

Bits of bread slowly splashed into the sea water. A Magikarp and a Goldeen swiftly ate up the crumbs, happy to have their lunch.

Pappy yawned as he pulled out another loaf, tossing more bits of the bread into the water to feed Capn' and Queen, before breaking a large piece and handing it to his Poliwhirl, Typhoon. His new Water-type was a strong fighter, but very clumsy and bumbling. He reminded Pappy somewhat of Tochu, with his shy nature.

Pappy patted Typhoon on the head as the Poliwhirl ate up the bread. "Eat up, Typhoon," he ordered. "You're gonna need the energy for the preliminaries."

"Poli?" Typhoon said, surprised. He thought he'd be the last choice for the preliminaries.

"Well, you are the only one with feet, y'know," Pappy said.

"Goldeen!" agreed Queen.

"Besides," Pappy added, "I've been training a lot with Capn' and Queen lately. You need some trainin' too, y'know."

"P-poli"! cheered Typhoon. (I'll do my best!)

"Great!" said Pappy, giving the Poliwhirl a pat on the head. "Looks like you two are gonna get some quality time," he told Cap'n and Queen.

Cap'n grinned and inched closer to Queen underwater. "Magikarp..."

Queen rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>"Alright, soup's on!"<p>

Tony set down three open cans of Pokemon food onto the grass, before pulling out his Pokeballs and opening them. A trio of scarlet flashes announced the coming of Lucky, Tochu, and Heracross.

"Eat up, guys!" Tony said, leaning against the large oak tree he was sitting under.

Lucky and Tochu eagerly dug in, but Heracross seemed indifferent. Being a wild caught Pokemon, he wasn't used to having a trainer, and he wasn't used to human beings at all. In the wild, he had often been pursued by Bug-Catchers, who would always attempt to capture him. However, the Heracross could always evade any trainers that came after him, and send them home frustrated and with a pocket of wounded Pokemon. However, after battling a Jigglypuff mere days ago, he came under the effect of a Sing attack from a wild Jigglypuff, and ended up falling asleep on the road. Next thing he knew, some human had caught him - without even fighting him- and sent him off to his nephew to be his new partner.

The Heracross folded his arms behind his back. This human was really cramping his style. _Although,_ he thought, casting an eye on Lucky, _it does have its advantages... _Heracross was an infamous womanizer back in Johto. He could charm a Beedrill out of her honey. Charming a Butterfree would be easy. After all, if he was stuck there, he might as well enjoy it.

Lucky caught look the Heracross was giving her. "What?" she asked in Pokemon.

"Nothing," the Heracross said smoothly. "I'm just wondering if it hurt."

Lucky blinked. "If what hurt?"

"When you fell down from heaven," the Heracross said with a wink.

"Uh... do you have something in your eye?"

Tochu groaned, facepalming... er, faceclawing. Lucky was a domesticated Pokemon for all her life, so she couldn't tell when she was being hit on by a male. The Parasect was terribly unhappy with the Heracross. He just thought he could waltz in there and start flirting with Lucky. Tochu didn't think he could beat Heracross in a fight, but he did know that Lucky probably could - and that if the Heracross crossed a line, Lucky would likely throttle him, and Tony would probably kick him off the team.

Tochu's eyes widened. A sudden thought came into his mind. What if...

* * *

><p><em>"Sniff... Oh, Tochu... I should have seen that Heracross for who he was all along! He may be strong, but he isn't kind, or compassionate, or red like you are!"<em>

_"It's okay, Lucky. Some Pokemon just aren't cut out to be a real hero."_

_"Oh, Tochu..."_

_"Lucky..."_

* * *

><p>"Tochu!"<p>

Tochu nearly leaped out of his skin. He had been so wrapped up in his fantasy, that he hadn't noticed that Tony was trying to get his attention.

"You okay?" his trainer asked. "You look kind of spaced out..."

"P-parasect!" Tochu said, sweatdropping while chuckling nervous. He picked up his can of Pokemon food and began to rapidly eat it.

Tony didn't look convinced at all, but said nothing, turning his attention back to Heracross. "Aww, look, Lucky, Heracross likes you!"

Tochu felt his claw crush the tin can as he felt a surge of frustration run through his body. "P-p-paras..."

Tony sighed, folding his legs Indian style and placing a hand on his chin. "Now... What should I call you?" he asked Heracross.

Heracross, who was still staring at Lucky, blinked and looked over. "Hera?"

Tony tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... Well, a nickname should be special..." he said, thoughtfully. "Hmm..." He looked at Heracross. "Hey, you gonna eat your food?" he asked.

Heracross folded his arms and kicked the food aside. "Hera!" he said.

"Bree!" Luck snapped, angrily. She flew up and jammed her face into the surprised Heracross's. "Butterfree!" (Hey! You pick that up!)

Heracross chuckled. "Hera... Heracross hera." (You know... you're really cute when you're mad.)

"Butterfree!" (I'll show you 'cute'!)

"Lucky, calm down," Tony said. He was unhappy with Heracross's stubbornness, but he didn't think a can of spilled Pokemon food was really worth so much rage. "He's probably not used to us yet. He just needs some time to adjust, y'know?"

Lucky sighed and sat back down, returning her attention to lunch.

"Ah! Tony! There you are!"

Tony gave a delighted laugh and stood up. He knew that voice anywhere. Professor Samuel Oak was walking towards him, waving his hand in greeting. "Professor!" Tony said, delighted. "How are you?"

"I'm wonderful, thank you," Oak replied. "How are you? I heard about your Spinarak and the little incident in Diglett's Cave."

"Oh, I'm fine," Tony said. That was half-true. "Just getting revved up for the preliminaries!"

"Good, good," Oak said with a nod and a grin. "I cannot wait to see you compete!" He turned over and looked at Tony's Pokemon. "Your Pokemon all look wonderful, I see!" he said. He gave Lucky a fond pat on the head, earning a happy purr from the Butterfree. "By the way, you still have the Pokedex that I gave you, correct?"

"Yeah, I do," Tony said, pulling the red and still slightly stick device out from his pocket. "Do you want to see it?"

"Certainly," Oak said, taking it. "Let's see how many Pokemon you've scanned!" He hit the button and slowly began to scroll through the Pokemon Tony had scanned. "Hmm... Very good. You've done well, but you still have much to do!"

"I know," Tony said. "But I still have five gyms left to beat, and the St. Anne too! I'll be seeing lots of Pokemon in that time!"

Oak laughed. "You're right, I suppose! So, you've already beaten Brock, Misty and Surge. Who are you going after next?"

Tony shrugged. "Well, Brock and Surge were really uphill battles, so I was thinking about going to see Erika again. I mean, she does have a type disadvantage, and it's been ages since I've seen her last!"

"It has, hasn't it?" Oak asked. "Well, be certain to say hello for me - but don't get over-confident! Even if she has a disadvantage against you, she is a Gym Leader for a reason!"

"I know, I know!" Tony said. He knew that Erika, despite her insomnia and seemingly slow nature, was a fierce combatant, whether she had was weak to her foe or not. It had been several years since Tony had seen her last. _I wonder if she's as pretty as I remember...?_

"Eh, Tony."

"Oh, sorry, Professor!" Tony said, sheepishly.

"As I was saying," Oak repeated, "which of your Pokemon will you use for the preliminaries?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Tony said. "Heracross!"

"Heracross?" Oak said, surprised.

"Bree?!" Lucky cried, dissapointed.

Tochu sighed with relief. Heracross would be with Tony on Route 11, leaving him and Lucky all alone at the spa.

"Heh... Hera..." Heracross said, folding his arms again.

"Well, he certainly seems to be confident," Oak said. "But you only just got him, after all. He might be difficult to handle."

"Well, what better way to get some training with him done than to take him with me during the preliminaries?" Tony asked.

Oak shrugged. "Hmm... I suppose..."

Tony grinned at Lucky and Tochu. "You two are getting a spa day! Excited?"

"Bree..."

"Paras!"

"Well," Oak said, checking his watch, "what do you say we head back? The preliminaries are due to start soon!"

Tony nodded, standing up. "Alright!" he cheered, having lunch now forgotten. "Come on, guys, let's go!"

"Bree!"

"Para!"

"Heh... Hera..."

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for the crowd to return to the stage, and it didn't take long for them to hand in their Pokemon to the spa attendents. Hundreds of Pokeballs were carted off, and their inhabitents prepared to be pampered. Each trainer was given six Pokeballs to use, and a tracking band so that they could be located in case of an emergency. The Pokemon that Oak had brought were now gone, all hiding now at Route 11.<p>

Professor Oak and Giovanni took to the stage again. "Ladies and gentlemen," Giovanni said. "The time has come. Are you ready?"

"YEEEEEEEAAAAAH!" the crowd cheered happily.

Giovanni gave a handsome smile. "Well then... Professor?"

Oak raised a starting pistol. "On your mark... get set... GO!"

BANG!

The pistol went off, and in a heartbeat the trainers did too. Some by land, others by the air, they all bolted for Route 11, and a chance for glory.

* * *

><p>As the trainers set off, a silent figure watched them, sitting inside a small car with a pair of binoculars pressed to her eyes. The woman quickly zoomed in on her target: the young, blonde haired young man, running amongst the crowd of trainers.<p>

The woman scowled, adjusting her blonde wig. She'd have to wait until he was seperated from the others before she made her move.

She opened a Pokeball, and an Ariados popped out. Hunter J gritted her teeth as she fitted another camera to her Pokemon's head. "Alright," she said, "let's try this again. And this time," she added harshly, "_no more mistakes_."

The Ariados nodded, and J turned back to her binoculars.

"Alright, Miller... You've escaped me once, I'll give you that... But I do not like to lose." She gritted her teeth. "And I never let my quarry get away."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Wow, a late chapter. Sorry, guys, but the first two drafts of this chapter really didn't do it for me, so I really had to buckle down and do it again. Well, for all the fans of my PMD story, at least this time I finished that chapter first. Be sure to read that, by the way.**

**Well, Tony's taking Heracross with him! Will this end up well, or will it backfire horribly? Will Tochu has another fantasy about him and Lucky? Will Lucky ever be able to tell that these boys want to get with her? Will I ever shut up?**

**Well, tune in next time to see... a bunch of OCs who aren't Tony!**

**REVIEW!**


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